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Poster B31 in Poster Session B - Thursday, August 8, 2024, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, Johnson Ice Rink
Bottom-Up and Top-Down Attention in Value-Based Choice
Arkady Konovalov1; 1University of Birmingham
Value-based choices can be affected both by bottom-up attention (perceptual properties of the stimuli) and top-down attention (goals of the decision maker, such as values of the choice options). Established cognitive computational models of attention suggest that visual attention can drive choices toward salient stimuli if their salience is congruent with the task goals (i.e., choosing options with higher value). Using a simple two-alternative forced-choice paradigm and eye tracking, we decompose the effects of bottom-up and top-down attention by manipulating both the physical properties of the stimuli (adjusting contrast and orientation) and their value to the decision maker (by adjusting rewards assigned to the stimuli). We find that while task-congruent salience can increase accuracy and decrease response time, this effect does not impact choices when salience is task-irrelevant.
Keywords: attention value-based choice decision making