Search

Abstract The dorsal pulvinar has been implicated in visuospatial attentional and perceptual confidence processing. Pulvinar lesions in humans and monkeys lead to spatial neglect symptoms, including an overt spatial saccade bias during free choices. However, it remains unclear whether disrupting the dorsal pulvinar during target selection that relies on a perceptual decision leads to a perceptual impairment or a more general spatial orienting and choice deficit. To address this question, we reversibly inactivated the unilateral dorsal pulvinar by injecting GABA-A agonist THIP while two macaque monkeys performed a color discrimination saccade task with varying perceptual difficulty. We used Signal Detection Theory and simulations to dissociate perceptual sensitivity (d-prime) and spatial selection bias (response criterion) effects. We expected a decrease in d-prime if dorsal pulvinar affects perceptual discrimination and a shift in response criterion if dorsal pulvinar is mainly involved in spatial orienting. After the inactivation, we observed response criterion shifts away from contralesional stimuli, especially when two competing stimuli in opposite hemifields were present. Notably, the d-prime and overall accuracy remained largely unaffected. Our results underline the critical contribution of the dorsal pulvinar to spatial orienting and action selection while showing it to be less important for visual perceptual discrimination.

The dorsal pulvinar has been implicated in visuospatial attentional and perceptual confidence processing. Pulvinar lesions in humans and monkeys lead to spatial neglect symptoms, including an overt spatial saccade bias during free choices. However, it remains unclear whether disrupting the dorsal pulvinar during target selection that relies on a perceptual decision leads to a perceptual impairment or a more general spatial orienting and choice deficit. To address this question, we reversibly inactivated the unilateral dorsal pulvinar by injecting GABA-A agonist THIP while two macaque monkeys performed a color discrimination saccade task with varying perceptual difficulty. We used Signal Detection Theory and simulations to dissociate perceptual sensitivity (d-prime) and spatial selection bias (response criterion) effects. We expected a decrease in d-prime if dorsal pulvinar affects perceptual discrimination and a shift in response criterion if dorsal pulvinar is mainly involved in spatial orienting. After the inactivation, we observed response criterion shifts away from contralesional stimuli, especially when two competing stimuli in opposite hemifields were present. Notably, the d-prime and overall accuracy remained largely unaffected. Our results underline the critical contribution of the dorsal pulvinar to spatial orienting and action selection while showing it to be less important for visual perceptual discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A given spatial distance can be measured using either a length or a time unit. A spatial-choice problem with given distances represented in a space frame and in a time frame is logically equivalent. Different representations of the same choice problem should yield the same preferences according to the invariance principle. To test invariance in the context of spatial choice, we used a constant velocity to construct six spatial (intertemporal) choice problems with single-placed (single-dated) outcomes in a space (time) frame and investigated whether invariance-violating behaviour could be detected under the two frames (Studies 1–3). If such behaviour existed, we then aimed to determine whether two models—the attribute-comparison model, which predicts a framing effect occurs if framing shifts people's judgement of the inequality relationship between the differences of two options in time/space dimension and that in outcome dimension, and the utility comparison model, which predicts that a framing effect occurs if framing shifts people's judgement of the inequality relationship between two options' overall utility—could account for it, and which of these two models is better supported by the data (Studies 2–3). The results indicate that a time–space framing effect existed, as people's preference orders were significantly changed by the different descriptions of spatial-choice problems, and this new time–space framing effect could be satisfactorily explained by the attribute-comparison rather than the utility comparison model. Our findings could support the creation of new forms of choice architecture that improve decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to discover the barriers to studying a major aligned with personal interests. We applied a unique dataset on real retrospective choices of prospective students in Poland and utilized Random Parameter Multinomial Logistic Regression to model the preferences. We used driving time instead of geographical proximity to abolish the assumption of equal access to transport in Poland. Results from the nationally representative survey found a significant trade-off between driving time and personal interest compliance – one is willing to pay 2 hours in driving time to study a major that strongly matches her interest. The results were coherent with stated-choice studies, except for the average earnings after graduation. There was significant heterogeneity in the subjective willingness to pay between the NUTS2 regions in Poland, suggesting that some regions' poor academic attractiveness might incentivize prospective students to move out. The continued trend might contribute to an increase in spatial human capital inequalities in Poland, as high achieving students will choose to study in academically oriented higher education institutions, while the disadvantaged might not have enough resources to bear the cost of commuting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]