Uncertainty in learning, choice, and visual fixation

Significance Humans cannot help but turn their gaze to objects that catch their attention. Our knowledge of the factors that govern this seizure, or of its effects in the context of learned decision making, is currently rather incomplete. We therefore monitored the gaze of human subjects as they learned to choose between multiple options whose value was initially unknown. We found evidence that attention was influenced by uncertainty and that the use of, and reduction in, uncertainty were, in turn, influenced by attention. Our findings provide evidence for approximately optimal models of learning and choice and uncover an intricate interplay between learning, choice, and attentional processes.