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Poster D in Poster Session D: Wednesday, August 5, 2:00 – 3:45 pm, Kimmel Center, Shorin & Rosenthal Rooms

Characterizing time-varying effects of evidence volatility on perceptual confidence

Yuzheng Wu¹, Ari Khoudary¹, Megan AK Peters¹; ¹University of California, Irvine

Presenter: Yuzheng Wu

Perceptual decisions are typically accompanied by a metacognitive feeling of confidence. Precisely what computations generate confidence, and how they relate to the computations driving decisions, is an area of active research. Mounting cross-species evidence suggests that the precision of sensory evidence---volatility---figures centrally in generating confidence. Here we ask how and when time-varying volatility maximally impacts confidence. We fit a family of nested regression models to behavioral data from trained human observers (n=3) who performed a motion discrimination task in which stimulus volatility was manipulated dynamically within each trial. We find that stimulus volatility most strongly affects confidence late in the decision process, and that the direction of this effect critically depends on signal strength and choice correctness: observers rationally decrease confidence in correct responses for higher-strength stimuli when the evidence becomes less reliable in the moments immediately preceding choice. These findings add important nuances to our understanding not only of what influences confidence, but also when those influences matter most.

Topic Area: Decision-Making, Cognitive Control & Event Cognition