TOP-DOWN INFLUENCE OF ECONOMIC VALUE ON

PERCEPTUAL DECISIONS
Devu Mahesan, Manisha Chawla, Krishna P. Miyapuram
Center for Cognitive Science, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar

ABSTRACT RESULTS
Identifying neural correlates of value and
perceptual based decision making has been a
major challenge. Previous studies have
dissociated early and late components in a
perceptual decision making task. However, the
integration of value and sensory information at
a neural level is still unclear.We used
electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate
the effect of reward information on perceptual • Absence of N100 post-stimulus, indicates the
decision making using two- alternative recruitment of top down influence on the
discriminating task.Our findings suggest that categorization task.
economic value acts as a top-down influence
• N200 component is
early in the decision epoch possibly shifting the
implicated for covert
evaluation criteria to a more favourable
attention during object
outcome.
recognition [3]
INTRODUCTION
• Many processes are involved in perceptual
decision making including searching for DISCUSSION
evidence, evaluating the evidence that is
obtained, resolving conflicts, dealing with
error

• Component appearing ≈200 ms after the onset

Fig 1:Temporal components of
processes involved in
perceptual decision[1]
Fig 2: Spatiotemporal
components of perceptual
decision making [2]
EXPERIMENTAL PARADIGM
of the reward information can be correlated to
this top-down influence [4].
• Reward information assigns attentional
resources early in the decision epoch possibly
by shifting the evaluation criteria to the more
favorable outcome.
REFERENCE
[1] Lou, B. (2015). The Time Course of a Perceptual Decision: Linking
Neural Correlates of Pre-stimulus Brain State, Decision Formation
and Response Evaluation. Columbia University.
[2] Philiastides, M. G., & Sajda, P. (2007). EEG-informed fMRI reveals
spatiotemporal characteristics of perceptual decision making. The
Journal of Neuroscience, 27(48), 13082-13091.
[3] Luck, S. J. (2014). An introduction to the event-related potential
technique. MIT press.
[4] Luck, S. J., & Hillyard, S. A. (1994). Spatial filtering during visual
search: evidence from human electrophysiology. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 20(5),
1000.

This research was supported by grant from Cognitive Science

research Initiative, Department of Science & Technology, India
(SR/CSRI/70/2014).