Perceptual suboptimality: Bug or feature?. (27th December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Summerfield, Christopher; Li, Vickie
• Is Part Of: Behavioral and brain sciences. Volume 41(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-12-27
• Subjects: Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Brain -- Periodicals; 616.89142
• DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X18001437
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0140-525X

Abstract

Abstract: Rahnev & Denison (R&D) argue that whether people are "optimal" or "suboptimal" is not a well-posed question. We agree. However, we argue that the critical question is why humans make suboptimal perceptual decisions in the first place. We suggest that perceptual distortions have a normative explanation – that they promote efficient coding and computation in biological information processing systems.