Predictive cues reduce but do not eliminate intrinsic response bias

Abstract

Predictive cues induce large changes in people's choices by biasing responses towards the expected stimulus category. At the same time, even in the absence of predictive cues, humans often exhibit substantial intrinsic response biases. Despite the ubiquity of both of these biasing effects, it remains unclear how predictive cues interact with intrinsic bias. To understand the nature of this interaction, we examined data across three previous experiments that featured a combination of neutral cues (revealing intrinsic biases) and predictive cues. We found that predictive cues decreased the intrinsic bias to about half of its original size. This result held both when bias was quantified as the criterion location estimated using signal detection theory and as the probability of choosing a particular stimulus category. Our findings demonstrate that predictive cues reduce but do not eliminate intrinsic response bias, testifying to both the malleability and rigidity of intrinsic biases.

Keywords: Bias; Criterion; Perceptual decision making; Prediction; Signal detection theory.