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Poster B144 in Poster Session B - Thursday, August 8, 2024, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, Johnson Ice Rink
Arousal optimizes behavior by promoting latent state transitions
Harrison Marble1, Tiantian Li2, Matthew Nassar1; 1Brown University, 2Max Planck School of Cognition
People are often faced with surprising events that defy expectations. These events are thought to elicit transient activity in the locus coeruleus/norepinephrine system and elevation of peripheral arousal markers such as the P300 in EEG and pupil dilation, but the function served by these arousal signals remains unclear. We propose that they facilitate latent state transitions that dynamically control the mental context governing learning and perception. To test this theory, we collected EEG and pupillometry data in a novel color prediction and reproduction task in two complementary contexts that prescribe opposite relationships between latent state transitions and learning. We found that stimuli with high state transition probability elicited pupil dilation and amplification of several event-related potentials including the P3a. Trial-to-trial variability in these signals was related to perceptual biases and learning, with heightened physiological signatures of arousal corresponding to decreased perceptual bias and context-dependent learning effects. Our findings support the theory that arousal-based LC/NE system signals optimize perception and learning by promoting global latent state transitions.
Keywords: Arousal Pupil Dilation P3 Learning