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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Cross inhibition improves activity selection when switching incurs time costs
John M. McnamaraLutz FromhageJames A. R. MarshallLianne F. S. MeahAlasdair I. HoustonAngélique Favreau-peignésubject
0106 biological sciencesCross inhibitionMathematical optimizationComputer science[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]010603 evolutionary biology01 natural sciencesTime cost0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesForaging050102 behavioral science & comparative psychologyGeometric frameworkkäyttäytyminenSelection (genetic algorithm)Positive feedbackBehaviorGeometric Framework05 social sciencesActivity selectionDeadlock (game theory)Cross inhibitionActivity SelectionGeometric frameworkCoupling (computer programming)Cross InhibitionAnimal Science and ZoologyDecision processNeurosciencedescription
Abstract We consider a behavioural model of an animal choosing between two activities, based on positive feedback, and examine the effect of introducing cross inhibition between the motivations for the two activities. While cross-inhibition has previously been included in models of decision making, the question of what benefit it may provide to an animal’s activity selection behaviour has not previously been studied. In neuroscience and in collective behaviour cross-inhibition, and other equivalent means of coupling evidence-accumulating pathways, have been shown to approximate statistically-optimal decision-making and to adaptively break deadlock, thereby improving decision performance. Switching between activities is an ongoing decision process yet here we also find that cross-inhibition robustly improves its efficiency, by reducing the frequency of costly switches between behaviours.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-04-01 | Current Zoology |