Implicit vs. explicit choice promotes the combination vs. selection of sensorimotor memories under contextual uncertainty

Abstract

Skilled action requires expressing motor memories as appropriate for the current context, but context is often uncertain. Theoretical models make conflicting proposals about memory expression under contextual uncertainty, predicting belief-weighted combination of memories versus the selection of the most probable memory. We tested these predictions by training human participants to reach in two opposing force fields cued by the direction of a random dot motion stimulus whose coherence varied. When participants moved before reporting dot direction, adaptation scaled with coherence: low-reliability cues produced partial expression of both memories. Fitting Bayesian observer models to behavior favored belief-weighted memory combination. In contrast, when participants reported their choice before moving, adaptation was independent of coherence and model fits favored categorical memory selection. Thus, sensorimotor memories are expressed as either a probabilistic combination or categorical selection, depending on whether participants contextual inference remains implicit or is made explicit at the time of memory expression.