Research article summary (published 30 Aug 2009):

Sequential effects in two-choice reaction time tasks: decomposition and synthesis of mechanisms.

Full Abstract

Performance on serial tasks is influenced by first- and higher-order sequential effects, respectively, due to the immediately previous and earlier trials. As response-to-stimulus interval (RSI) increases, the pattern of reaction times transits from a benefit-only mode, traditionally ascribed to automatic facilitation (AF), to a cost-benefit mode, due to strategic expectancy (SE). To illuminate the sources of such effects, we develop a connectionist network of two mutually inhibiting neural decision units subject to feedback from previous trials. A study of separate biasing mechanisms shows that residual decision unit activity can lead to only first-order AF, but higher-order AF can result from strategic priming mediated by conflict monitoring, which we instantiate in two distinct versions. A further mechanism mediates expectation-related biases that grow during RSI toward saturation levels determined by weighted repetition (or alternation) sequence lengths. Equipped with these mechanisms, the network, consistent with known neurophysiology, accounts for several sets of behavioral data over a wide range of RSIs. The results also suggest that practice speeds up all the mechanisms rather than adjusting their relative strengths.

Author information

Author/s: Gao, Juan (J); Wong-Lin, Kongfatt (K); Holmes, Philip (P); Simen, Patrick (P); Cohen, Jonathan D (JD);

Affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. juangao(-atsign-)stanford.edu

Grants: MH62196 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; P50 MH062196-09 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Neural computation (Neural Comput), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 21 (issue 9) : pp 2407-36

Dates: Created 2009/08/14; Completed 2009/09/17; Revised 2009/09/28;

PMID: 19548803, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 9/29/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Automatism Bias (Epidemiology) Choice Behavior Feedback, Psychological Humans Inhibition (Psychology) Mathematics

Memory, Short-Term - physiology Models, Psychological Neural Networks (Computer) Neuropsychological Tests Reaction Time - physiology Serial Learning - physiology Time Factors

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