Editor's Pick: Motor planning and risky choices

Reviewing Editor Ifat Levy, Ph.D. selected this paper and explains why she considers it noteworthy.

The paper uses an elegant design to show that people use one of two distinct strategies when choosing between multiple options with an uncertain outcome: either commit to one option and reach directly, or reach in between and adjust when more information is obtained.

The authors show that the two strategies are differentially sensitive to reward likelihood versus reward magnitude. Then they show that the trade-off between these two distinct strategies is related to the individual's level of risk aversion.

This fills a gap in our knowledge on motor actions in the face of uncertainty, and relates studies on motor planning and risky choices.

Read the full article:

Motor Plans under Uncertainty Reflect a Trade-Off between Maximizing Reward and Success
Aaron L. Wong, Audrey L. Green, and Mitchell W. Isaacs