O'Neill and Schultz - Risk and Value Signals in Orbitofrontal Neurons Flashcards
(12 cards)
How is “risk” defined in the context of this study?
Risk was defined as the mathematical variance of reward probability distributions (statistical dispersion of outcomes)
What type of task did the researchers use to study risk and value processing?
A gambling task with different reward probabilities and magnitudes
How did researchers manipulate risk in their experiment?
By varying the spread of possible reward outcomes while keeping expected value constant
What technique was used to measure neuronal activity in the OFC?
Single-unit electrophysiological recordings
What were the monkeys required to do in the experimental task?
Make choices between different visual stimuli associated with varying levels of risk and reward
What was the relationship between behavioral risk preferences and OFC neuronal activity?
The animals’ risk attitudes were reflected in the predominance of risk-seeking or risk-averse neural signals
What is the significance of finding both risk-seeking and risk-averse neurons?
It provides a neurobiological basis for individual differences in risk preferences
How might this research inform our understanding of pathological gambling or addiction?
Dysfunctions in OFC risk signaling might contribute to maladaptive risk-taking behaviors
How does this work relate to prospect theory?
It provides neurobiological correlates for key components of prospect theory, particularly in how the brain evaluates outcomes under uncertainty
What advantage did single-unit recordings provide over fMRI in studying risk processing?
They revealed heterogeneous risk-coding at the cellular level that might be averaged out in fMRI studies
What statistical methods were used to identify risk-sensitive neurons?
Regression analyses and significance testing of neuronal responses to different risk levels
How did researchers control for other variables when isolating risk signals?
They maintained constant expected value while varying variance, and used comprehensive regression analyses to isolate risk from value coding
