Identifiability of Bayesian models of perception

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hahn, Michael; Wang, Entang; Wei, Xue-Xin
• 署名单位: Saarland University; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2601013123
• 发表日期: 2026-09-15
• 页码: e2601013123
• 关键词: Bayesian model; Model identifiability; BEHAVIOR; Experimental design; cognition; INFORMATION; orientation; noise

摘要

Inferring the underlying computational processes from behavioral measurements is a fundamental approach in cognitive science and neuroscience. Although Bayesian decision theory has become a major normative framework for modeling perception and cognition, it is unclear to what extent its modeling components (i.e., prior belief, likelihood function, and loss function) can be recovered from behavioral data. Here, we systematically investigated the problem of inferring such Bayesian models from behavioral tasks. We determined the situations under which some components of Bayesian models are systematically confounded, as well as the practical choices in experimental design that can resolve such ambiguity. Overall, our analytical results guarantee in-principle identifiability under broadly applicable conditions, without any a priori knowledge of prior or encoding. Simulations and applications on the basis of behavioral datasets validate that the predictions of this theory apply in realistic settings. Importantly, our results demonstrate that reliable recovery of the model often requires having data from multiple noise levels. This is a crucial insight that will guide future experimental design.