AATEC - Why do we want the apple but choose the chips?

contact: Dr. Anoushiravan Zahedi

Current theories of decision-making suggest that option valuation and action selection are distinguished from each other, where the latter is a mechanical procedure that follows the former without any constructive feedback between these two components. However, this theoretical separation between action selection and valuation is challenged when considering that learning methods focusing on action selection without considering associated values, i.e., nonreinforced learning, can ultimately affect choices. These findings beg the question of whether these two procedures rely on two distinguishable but interacting systems, one focusing predominantly on stimulus-action contingencies (SAC) and the other on stimulus-outcome contingencies (SOC). In the current study using two commonly employed learning techniques, one focusing on nonreinforced learning and the other on reinforced learning, we want to investigate the nature and interaction between SACs and SOCs and their underpinning neural circuits.