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Contributed Talk Session: Thursday, August 14, 10:00 – 11:00 am, Room C1.04
Poster Session C: Friday, August 15, 2:00 – 5:00 pm, de Brug & E‑Hall

Metacognitive Judgements of Confidence in Effortful Task Are Susceptible to Momentary Fluctuations of Fatigue

Katarzyna Dudzikowska¹, Nikita Mehta, Matthew Apps; ¹University of Birmingham

Presenter: Katarzyna Dudzikowska

Classical theories describe prospective confidence as a readout of the probability of success based on reinforcement history. However, research suggests that confidence may be susceptible to fatigue despite continued success. Here, we test if confidence changes throughout an effortful task and whether the moment-to-moment fluctuations in fatigue can account for these changes. Participants exerted physical effort (30, 30, 48% of maximum voluntary contraction - MVC) and reported confidence in their ability to succeed. Across three studies, we show that confidence declines over time and fluctuates on a trial-by-trial basis, despite consistently successful performance. Decreases in confidence and increases in fatigue ratings (Study II) were both related to exerted effort. We introduce a novel computational model in which latent fluctuations in fatigue drive changes in confidence and show that it outperforms models based solely on past performance or time on task. We also show that the relationship between confidence and fatigue is distinct from boredom (Study III). Thus, computations of confidence are susceptible to fluctuating levels of fatigue, even when the probability of success remains high.

Topic Area: Predictive Processing & Cognitive Control

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