10.5061/DRYAD.TB542
Murphy, Peter R.
Leiden University
Vandekerckhove, Joachim
University of California, Irvine
Nieuwenhuis, Sander
Leiden University
Data from: Pupil-linked arousal determines variability in perceptual
decision making
Dryad
dataset
2015
Neuromodulation
diffusion model
decision noise
pupil diameter
2015-08-12T00:00:00Z
2015-08-12T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003854
243265849 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Decision making between several alternatives is thought to involve the
gradual accumulation of evidence in favor of each available choice. This
process is profoundly variable even for nominally identical stimuli, yet
the neuro-cognitive substrates that determine the magnitude of this
variability are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that arousal state
is a powerful determinant of variability in perceptual decision making. We
measured pupil size, a highly sensitive index of arousal, while human
subjects performed a motion-discrimination task, and decomposed task
behavior into latent decision making parameters using an established
computational model of the decision process. In direct contrast to
previous theoretical accounts specifying a role for arousal in several
discrete aspects of decision making, we found that pupil diameter was
uniquely related to a model parameter representing variability in the rate
of decision evidence accumulation: Periods of increased pupil size,
reflecting heightened arousal, were characterized by greater variability
in accumulation rate. Pupil diameter also correlated trial-by-trial with
specific patterns of behavior that collectively are diagnostic of changing
accumulation rate variability, and explained substantial individual
differences in this computational quantity. These findings provide a
uniquely clear account of how arousal state impacts decision making, and
may point to a relationship between pupil-linked neuromodulation and
behavioral variability. They also pave the way for future studies aimed at
augmenting the precision with which people make decisions.
Raw pupillometric & behavioural dataDATA_for_repository.zip