Journal article
Are we really Bayesian? Probabilistic inference shows sub-optimal knowledge transfer
CHS Lin, TT Do, L Unsworth, MI Garrido
Plos Computational Biology | Published : 2024
Abstract
Numerous studies have found that the Bayesian framework, which formulates the optimal integration of the knowledge of the world (i.e. prior) and current sensory evidence (i.e. likelihood), captures human behaviours sufficiently well. However, there are debates regarding whether humans use precise but cognitively demanding Bayesian computations for behaviours. Across two studies, we trained participants to estimate hidden locations of a target drawn from priors with different levels of uncertainty. In each trial, scattered dots provided noisy likelihood information about the target location. Participants showed that they learned the priors and combined prior and likelihood information to infe..
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Awarded by Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
CSL and MIG were funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function (ARC Centre Grant CE140100007). CSL received a salary from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function (ARC Centre Grant CE140100007), which was awarded to MIG. CSL was funded by the University of Melbourne for Early Career Research Grant (2021ECR104). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. URL of the Australian Research Council: https://www.arc.gov.au/URL of the University of Melbourne: https://www.unimelb.edu. au/.