Topic: stimulus strength

Observers are aware of the fallibility of perception. When we experience a high degree of confidence in a perceptual interpretation, that interpretation is more likely to be correct than when we feel less confident. Here we ask how neural population activity in sensory cortex informs confidence in perceptual decisions. We used multilaminar electrode arrays to record population activity in the primary visual cortex of a macaque monkey performing a perceptual confidence task. Specifically, the animal judged the orientation of ambiguous stimuli (“clockwise” vs “counter-clockwise”) and simultaneou