Serial, parallel and hierarchical decision making in primates

TY - JOUR

T1 - Serial, parallel and hierarchical decision making in primates

AU - Zylberberg, Ariel

AU - Lorteije, Jeannette Am

AU - Ouellette, Brian G

AU - De Zeeuw, Chris I

AU - Sigman, Mariano

AU - Roelfsema, P.R.

PY - 2017/6/7

Y1 - 2017/6/7

N2 - The study of decision-making has mainly focused on isolated decisions where choices are associated with motor actions. However, problem-solving often involves considering a hierarchy of sub-decisions. In a recent study (Lorteije et al. 2015), we reported behavioral and neuronal evidence for hierarchical decision making in a task with a small decision tree. We observed a first phase of parallel evidence integration for multiple sub-decisions, followed by a phase in which the overall strategy formed. It has been suggested that a 'flat' competition between the ultimate motor actions might also explain these results. A reanalysis of the data does not support the critical predictions of flat models. We also examined the time-course of decision making in other, related tasks and report conditions where evidence integration for successive decisions is decoupled, which excludes flat models. We conclude that the flexibility of decision-making implies that the strategies are genuinely hierarchical.

AB - The study of decision-making has mainly focused on isolated decisions where choices are associated with motor actions. However, problem-solving often involves considering a hierarchy of sub-decisions. In a recent study (Lorteije et al. 2015), we reported behavioral and neuronal evidence for hierarchical decision making in a task with a small decision tree. We observed a first phase of parallel evidence integration for multiple sub-decisions, followed by a phase in which the overall strategy formed. It has been suggested that a 'flat' competition between the ultimate motor actions might also explain these results. A reanalysis of the data does not support the critical predictions of flat models. We also examined the time-course of decision making in other, related tasks and report conditions where evidence integration for successive decisions is decoupled, which excludes flat models. We conclude that the flexibility of decision-making implies that the strategies are genuinely hierarchical.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.7554/eLife.17331

DO - 10.7554/eLife.17331

M3 - Article

C2 - 28648172

SN - 2050-084X

VL - 6

JO - eLife

JF - eLife

M1 - e17331

ER -