Value-based attention but not divisive normalization influences decisions with multiple alternatives

Sebastian Gluth (), Nadja Kern, Maria Kortmann and Cécile L. Vitali
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Sebastian Gluth: University of Basel
Nadja Kern: University of Basel
Maria Kortmann: University of Basel
Cécile L. Vitali: University of Basel

Nature Human Behaviour, 2020, vol. 4, issue 6, 634-645

Abstract: Abstract Violations of economic rationality principles in choices between three or more options are critical for understanding the neural and cognitive mechanisms of decision-making. A recent study reported that the relative choice accuracy between two options decreases as the value of a third (distractor) option increases and attributed this effect to divisive normalization of neural value representations. In two preregistered experiments, a direct replication and an eye-tracking experiment, we assessed the replicability of this effect and tested an alternative account that assumes value-based attention to mediate the distractor effect. Surprisingly, we could not replicate the distractor effect in our experiments. However, we found a dynamic influence of distractor value on fixations to distractors as predicted by the value-based attention theory. Computationally, we show that extending an established sequential sampling decision-making model by a value-based attention mechanism offers a comprehensive account of the interplay between value, attention, response times and decisions.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0822-0

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