Abstract
This study examines how the domains of reward and attention, which are often studied as independent processes, in fact interact at a systems level. We operationalize divided attention with a continuous performance task and variables from signal detection theory (SDT), and reward/aversion with a keypress task measuring approach/avoidance in the framework of relative preference theory (RPT). Independent experiments with the same subjects showed a significant association between one SDT and two RPT variables, visualized as a three-dimensional structure. Holding one of these three variables constant, further showed a significant relationship between a loss aversion-like metric from the approach/avoidance task, and the response bias observed during the divided attention task. These results indicate that a more liberal response bias under signal detection (i.e., a higher tolerance for noise, resulting in a greater proportion of false alarms) is associated with higher “loss aversion.” Furthermore, our functional model suggests a mechanism for processing constraints with divided attention and reward/aversion. Together, our results argue for a systematic relationship between divided attention and reward/aversion processing in humans.
Highlights
Divided Attention Task Subject performance on the divided attention task is summarized in Table 1, which provides average values and standard deviations of β, d′, and the false alarm rate observed across subjects
We explored the relationship between measures of reward/aversion behavior from an approach/avoidance keypress task (i.e., K and H) and measures of signal detection performance from a divided attention task
We found no significant relations between d′ under signal detection and reward/aversion variables, but through iterative modeling, we identified significant relationships between K, H, and β, in particular of β on H, in parallel with K on H
Summary
The association of attention and value-based choice is an important topic in behavioral neuroscience that, until relatively recently (e.g., Maunsell, 2004; Taylor et al, 2004; Small et al, 2005; Engelmann and Pessoa, 2007; Engelmann et al, 2009; Navalpakkam et al, 2009; Lim et al, 2011), has been often overlooked. Spatial attention has been found to influence how subjects assign value to objects in a choice task (Lim et al, 2011), demonstrating that attention affects value-based choice. In this task, ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum were found to encode relative value signals indicating the difference in perceived value between the attended and unattended objects (Lim et al, 2011). Psychopathology studies report alterations in attention with presumed disorders of reward processing, such as major depression or addiction, and addictive substances such as amphetamine can be used to treat attention deficit disorder (Biederman, 1992; Cook et al, 1995; Gossop et al, 2003)
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