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My nascent ideas on the application of economics/voting theory to decision making in animals, e.g. during choice between different palatable foods.
The standard view seems to be that when an animal is confronted by a choice of foods, the decision to choose one food over the other is determined by a rational weighing of different factors (i.e. algebraic summation of neural or synaptic weights), leading to a threshold choice for one food over another. For example, when given a choice between two palatable solutions, perhaps dopamine is released in the n. accumbens in response to both flavors; due to prior experience, however, the flavored solution with, e.g., the higher caloric content might induce more dopamine release than the other solution, triggering a choice of the caloric flavor.
Rather than an algebraic summation of preference/aversion value, I hypothesize a group of neurons/synapses are "voting" on the choice of foods. Furthermore, the system of voting may not necessarily be a "first past the post" system in which the plurality of neurons in favor of one solution "wins"; alternative systems of voting are possible. The Economist had an [http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NRRSSR article describing the work of Saari] that employed as an example voting for beverage choice.
'''Useful references to track down:'''
[http://www.math.uci.edu/~dsaari/ Donald G. Saari] on economic models of voting.
[http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bschwar1/ Barry Schwartz] on the [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/93 paradox of too much choice]. (This is the same Barry Schwartz who wrote the textbook on learning and memory).
The standard view seems to be that when an animal is confronted by a choice of foods, the decision to choose one food over the other is determined by a rational weighing of different factors (i.e. algebraic summation of neural or synaptic weights), leading to a threshold choice for one food over another. For example, when given a choice between two palatable solutions, perhaps dopamine is released in the n. accumbens in response to both flavors; due to prior experience, however, the flavored solution with, e.g., the higher caloric content might induce more dopamine release than the other solution, triggering a choice of the caloric flavor.
Rather than an algebraic summation of preference/aversion value, I hypothesize a group of neurons/synapses are "voting" on the choice of foods. Furthermore, the system of voting may not necessarily be a "first past the post" system in which the plurality of neurons in favor of one solution "wins"; alternative systems of voting are possible. The Economist had an [http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_NRRSSR article describing the work of Saari] that employed as an example voting for beverage choice.
'''Useful references to track down:'''
[http://www.math.uci.edu/~dsaari/ Donald G. Saari] on economic models of voting.
[http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bschwar1/ Barry Schwartz] on the [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/93 paradox of too much choice]. (This is the same Barry Schwartz who wrote the textbook on learning and memory).