Saccadic control for reducing uncertainty
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Saccades gather visual information. Although few scientists would question this statement, the neural mechanisms of saccade target selection are typically described in terms of reward with no reference to information. I will describe evidence from my laboratory that attentional sampling is sensitive to expected information gains (EIG). Saccade selective neurons in the parietal cortex are modulated by the two quantities that determine EIG - uncertainty and predictive validity - independently of rewards. Moreover, the effects of uncertainty before the saccade modulate the efficiency with which monkeys use the information after the saccade. The findings suggest that saccade target selection is closely coordinated with our belief states and is geared toward reducing the future uncertainty of those states.
Source: Journal of Vision
Author: Jacqueline Gottlieb
Institution: Columbia University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,850
OpenAlex ID: W4311608120