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para on releasing stimuli
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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.
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.
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+==Releasing Stimuli vs. Choice==
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+As shown by Tinbergen et al., animals can be "hard-wired" to respond with particular behaviors to fairly specific "releasing" stimuli. The classic example is the response of gulls to artificial eggs: when an egg is separated from the nest, the gull will retrieve it. Parametric studies showed that round eggs were better than cubic eggs at eliciting retrieval, large (even abnormally large) eggs were better than small eggs, and green eggs were better than other colors (even the natural mottled gray coloration).
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+Operationally, the animal is making a decision to choose one stimulus (small cubic egg) over a second stimulus (large green egg). But is there there a distinction when the choice is determined by the pre-programmed salience of a releasing stimuli? Is there a different process at work when the stimuli are more diverse, less pre-programmed, or have learned associations?