Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback
It is well established that learning can occur without external feedback, yet normative reinforcement learning theories have difficulties explaining such instances of learning. Here, we propose that human observers are capable of generating their own feedback signals by monitoring internal decision...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2016-03-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/13388 |
| _version_ | 1811235890990678016 |
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| author | Matthias Guggenmos Gregor Wilbertz Martin N Hebart Philipp Sterzer |
| author_facet | Matthias Guggenmos Gregor Wilbertz Martin N Hebart Philipp Sterzer |
| author_sort | Matthias Guggenmos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is well established that learning can occur without external feedback, yet normative reinforcement learning theories have difficulties explaining such instances of learning. Here, we propose that human observers are capable of generating their own feedback signals by monitoring internal decision variables. We investigated this hypothesis in a visual perceptual learning task using fMRI and confidence reports as a measure for this monitoring process. Employing a novel computational model in which learning is guided by confidence-based reinforcement signals, we found that mesolimbic brain areas encoded both anticipation and prediction error of confidence—in remarkable similarity to previous findings for external reward-based feedback. We demonstrate that the model accounts for choice and confidence reports and show that the mesolimbic confidence prediction error modulation derived through the model predicts individual learning success. These results provide a mechanistic neurobiological explanation for learning without external feedback by augmenting reinforcement models with confidence-based feedback. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:00:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4a25b8ea7f6d4912b30a97278fcd65df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:00:12Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-4a25b8ea7f6d4912b30a97278fcd65df2022-12-22T03:33:53ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2016-03-01510.7554/eLife.13388Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedbackMatthias Guggenmos0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0139-4123Gregor Wilbertz1Martin N Hebart2Philipp Sterzer3Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany; Visual Perception Laboratory, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, GermanyVisual Perception Laboratory, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Systems Neuroscience, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, GermanyBernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany; Visual Perception Laboratory, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, GermanyIt is well established that learning can occur without external feedback, yet normative reinforcement learning theories have difficulties explaining such instances of learning. Here, we propose that human observers are capable of generating their own feedback signals by monitoring internal decision variables. We investigated this hypothesis in a visual perceptual learning task using fMRI and confidence reports as a measure for this monitoring process. Employing a novel computational model in which learning is guided by confidence-based reinforcement signals, we found that mesolimbic brain areas encoded both anticipation and prediction error of confidence—in remarkable similarity to previous findings for external reward-based feedback. We demonstrate that the model accounts for choice and confidence reports and show that the mesolimbic confidence prediction error modulation derived through the model predicts individual learning success. These results provide a mechanistic neurobiological explanation for learning without external feedback by augmenting reinforcement models with confidence-based feedback.https://elifesciences.org/articles/13388perceptual learningconfidenceventral striatumreinforcement learningfeedback |
| spellingShingle | Matthias Guggenmos Gregor Wilbertz Martin N Hebart Philipp Sterzer Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback eLife perceptual learning confidence ventral striatum reinforcement learning feedback |
| title | Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback |
| title_full | Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback |
| title_fullStr | Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback |
| title_short | Mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback |
| title_sort | mesolimbic confidence signals guide perceptual learning in the absence of external feedback |
| topic | perceptual learning confidence ventral striatum reinforcement learning feedback |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/13388 |
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