Publication
Structure uncovered: understanding temporal variability in perceptual decision-making
Studies of perceptual decision-making typically present the same stimulus repeatedly over the course of an experimental session but ignore the order of these observations, assuming unrealistic stability of decision strategies over trials. However, even ‘stable,’ ‘steady-state,’ or ‘expert’ decision-making behaviour features significant trial-to-trial variability that is richly structured in time.
- Author
- Anne E. Urai
- Date
- 02 July 2025
- Links
- Cell Press Journal
Structured trial-to-trial variability of various forms can be uncovered using latent variable models such as hidden Markov models and autoregressive models, revealing how unobservable internal states change over time. Capturing such temporal structure can avoid confounds in cognitive models, provide insights into inter- and intraindividual variability, and bridge the gap between neural and cognitive mechanisms of variability in perceptual decision-making.
Read the full publication through Cell Press Journal.