Computational basis of hierarchical and counterfactual information processing
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4700837 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mahdi Ramadan (McGovern Institute for Brain Research), Cheng Tang (0000-0002-9609-9951, McGovern Institute for Brain Research), Nicholas Watters (0000-0002-7757-7700, McGovern Institute for Brain Research), Mehrdad Jazayeri (0000-0002-9764-6961, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1913-1927 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Nature Human Behaviour (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2397-3374 • E-ISSN: 2397-3374 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41562-025-02232-3 |
| PMID | 40500379 |
| OpenAlex | W4411216846 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 52 |
Humans solve complex multistage decision problems using hierarchical and counterfactual strategies. Here we designed a task that reliably engages these strategies and conducted hypothesis-driven experiments to identify the computational constraints that give rise to them. We found three key constraints: a bottleneck in parallel processing that promotes hierarchical analysis, a compensatory but capacity-limited counterfactual process, and working memory noise that reduces counterfactual fidelity. To test whether these strategies are computationally rational-that is, optimal given such constraints-we trained recurrent neural networks under systematically varied limitations. Only recurrent neural networks subjected to all three constraints reproduced human-like behaviour. Further analysis revealed that hierarchical, counterfactual and postdictive strategies-typically viewed as distinct-lie along a continuum of rational adaptations. These findings suggest that human decision strategies may emerge from a shared set of computational limitations, offering a unifying framework for understanding the flexibility and efficiency of human cognition
Counterfactual thinking · Advanced Research in Systems and Signal Processing · Computer Science · Mathematics · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |