Journal article
Cost-benefit tradeoff mediates the transition from rule-based to memory-based processing during practice
PLoS biology, Vol.23(1), e3002987
01/23/2025
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002987
PMCID: PMC11793810
PMID: 39847600
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
Practice not only improves task performance but also changes task execution from rule- to memory-based processing by incorporating experiences from practice. However, how and when this change occurs is unclear. We test the hypothesis that strategy transitions in task learning can result from decision-making guided by cost-benefit analysis. Participants learn 2 task sequences and are then queried about the task type at a cued sequence and position. Behavioral improvement with practice can be accounted for by a computational model implementing cost-benefit analysis and the model-predicted strategy transition points align with the observed behavioral slowing. Model comparisons using behavioral data show that strategy transitions are better explained by a cost-benefit analysis across alternative strategies rather than solely on memory strength. Model-guided fMRI findings suggest that the brain encodes a decision variable reflecting the cost-benefit analysis and that different strategy representations are double-dissociated. Further analyses reveal that strategy transitions are associated with activation patterns in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and increased pattern separation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Together, these findings support cost-benefit analysis as a mechanism of practice-induced strategy shift.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Cost-benefit tradeoff mediates the transition from rule-based to memory-based processing during practice
- Creators
- Guochun Yang - University of IowaJiefeng Jiang - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- PLoS biology, Vol.23(1), e3002987
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002987
- PMID
- 39847600
- PMCID
- PMC11793810
- NLM abbreviation
- PLoS Biol
- ISSN
- 1545-7885
- eISSN
- 1545-7885
- Publisher
- PLOS
- Grant note
- National Institute of Mental Health: R01MH131559 National Institutes of Health: S10RR028821
This project was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (https://www. nimh.nih.gov) (R01MH131559 to J.J.). This work was conducted on an MRI instrument funded by the National Institutes of Health (https://www.nih. gov) under grant number S10RR028821. The funders have played no role in the research.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/23/2025
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984775262302771
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