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Poster A11 in Poster Session A - Tuesday, August 6, 2024, 4:15 – 6:15 pm, Johnson Ice Rink
Primate Gaze Behavior Reflects Dynamic Decision-Making in Naturalistic Navigation
Woochul Choi1, Panos Alefantis1, Georgios Andreadakis1, Dora Angelaki1; 1New York University
Adaptive updating of beliefs in dynamically changing environments is essential for decision-making. While there is extensive research on static decision-making contexts, less is understood about closed-loop decision-making where actions directly influence visual perceptions. This study explores visual path integration and continuous decision-making in a 3D virtual reality (VR) setting, where primates, both monkeys and humans, navigate towards transiently indicated targets, presented either simultaneously or sequentially, with each offering identical rewards. The task required memory for target locations, updates of internal beliefs on self-position, and cost-effective navigational decisions. Our findings reveal a preference for proximal and centrally located targets, with a significant tendency to select the most recently indicated target, reflecting dynamic belief updates. Eye-tracking data suggest that gaze patterns prior to the second target's introduction can predict decision changes. Linear regression models confirm that these movements are indicative of the chosen target before its visibility, underscoring the importance of gaze dynamics in sensory integration and planning. Our results demonstrate how primate gaze behavior in a dynamic environment reflects adaptive decision-making process.
Keywords: Eye movement Path integration Decision-Making Naturalistic behavior