Abstract
We often need to rapidly change our mind about perceptual decisions in order to account for new information and correct mistakes. One fundamental, unresolved question is whether information processed prior to a decision being made ('pre-decisional information') has any influence on the likelihood and speed with which that decision is reversed. We investigated this using a luminance discrimination task in which participants indicated which of two flickering greyscale squares was brightest. Following an initial decision, the stimuli briefly remained on screen, and participants could change their response. Using psychophysical reverse correlation, we examined how moment-to-moment fluctuations in stimulus luminance affected participants' decisions. This revealed that the strength of even the very earliest (pre-decisional) evidence was associated with the likelihood and speed of later changes of mind. To account for this effect, we propose an extended diffusion model in which an initial 'snapshot' of sensory information biases ongoing evidence accumulation.
Highlights
The ability to rapidly revise decisions in the face of new information is critical for avoiding harm in an ever-changing world
By reverse correlating participants decisions with the moment-to-moment sensory evidence they received, we show that the very earliest information, processed prior to an initial decision being made, can have a lasting influence over the speed and likelihood of subsequent changes of mind
To account for this, we develop a model of perceptual decisions in which initial sensory evidence exerts a lasting bias over later evidence processing
Summary
The ability to rapidly revise decisions in the face of new information is critical for avoiding harm in an ever-changing world. Imagine being unable to overrule a decision to run across a street when you realise that a speeding car is approaching. In situations such as this, even small delays in the time it takes to change your mind can have serious consequences. Once a certain amount of evidence has been accumulated in favor of one choice over another, an initial decision is made. Following this the decision process does not immediately halt. Sensory evidence continues to be accumulated, and, if enough subsequent evidence is accumulated in favor of the initiallyunchosen response, a change of mind occurs [3]
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