Ryan-Lortie Juliette, Pelletier Gabriel, Pilgrim Matthew, Fellows Lesley K
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Front Neurosci. 2023 Aug 25;17:1167095. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1167095. eCollection 2023.
While many everyday choices are between multi-attribute options, how attribute values are integrated to allow such choices remains unclear. Recent findings suggest a distinction between elemental (attribute-by-attribute) and configural (holistic) evaluation of multi-attribute options, with different neural substrates. Here, we asked if there are behavioral or gaze pattern differences between these putatively distinct modes of multi-attribute decision-making.
Thirty-nine healthy men and women learned the monetary values of novel multi-attribute pseudo-objects (fribbles) and then made choices between pairs of these objects while eye movements were tracked. Value was associated with individual attributes in the elemental condition, and with unique combinations of attributes in the configural condition. Choice, reaction time, gaze fixation time on options and individual attributes, and within- and between-option gaze transitions were recorded.
There were systematic behavioral differences between elemental and configural conditions. Elemental trials had longer reaction times and more between-option transitions, while configural trials had more within-option transitions. The effect of last fixation on choice was more pronounced in the configural condition.
We observed differences in gaze patterns and the influence of last fixation location on choice in multi-attribute value-based choices depending on how value is associated with those attributes. This adds support for the claim that multi-attribute option values may emerge either elementally or holistically, reminiscent of similar distinctions in multi-attribute object recognition. This may be important to consider in neuroeconomics research that involve visually-presented complex objects.
虽然许多日常选择是在多属性选项之间进行的，但属性值如何整合以实现此类选择仍不清楚。最近的研究结果表明，多属性选项的基本（逐个属性）评估和构型（整体）评估之间存在区别，且具有不同的神经基质。在这里，我们探讨了在这些假定不同的多属性决策模式之间是否存在行为或注视模式差异。
39名健康男性和女性了解了新型多属性虚拟物体（弗里布尔）的货币价值，然后在追踪眼动的同时对这些物体进行两两选择。在基本条件下，价值与各个属性相关联；在构型条件下，价值与属性的独特组合相关联。记录选择、反应时间、对选项和各个属性的注视固定时间，以及选项内和选项间的注视转换。
基本条件和构型条件之间存在系统性的行为差异。基本试验的反应时间更长，选项间转换更多，而构型试验的选项内转换更多。在构型条件下，最后注视对选择的影响更为明显。
我们观察到，在基于多属性价值的选择中，注视模式以及最后注视位置对选择的影响存在差异，这取决于价值与那些属性的关联方式。这为多属性选项价值可能以基本方式或整体方式出现的观点提供了支持，这让人联想到多属性物体识别中的类似区别。在涉及视觉呈现复杂物体的神经经济学研究中，这一点可能很重要。
