{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,14]],"date-time":"2025-05-14T04:12:19Z","timestamp":1747195939447,"version":"3.40.5"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,16]],"date-time":"2021-12-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1639612800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003725","name":"National Research Foundation of Korea","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["NRF-2018R1A2B6008959"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NRF-2018R1A2B6008959"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003725","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003725","name":"National Research Foundation of Korea","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["NRF-2018R1D1A1B07043582"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NRF-2018R1D1A1B07043582"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003725","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.ploscompbiol.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Comput Biol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Many decisions in life are sequential and constrained by a time window. Although mathematically derived optimal solutions exist, it has been reported that humans often deviate from making optimal choices. Here, we used a secretary problem, a classic example of finite sequential decision-making, and investigated the mechanisms underlying individuals\u2019 suboptimal choices. Across three independent experiments, we found that a dynamic programming model comprising subjective value function explains individuals\u2019 deviations from optimality and predicts the choice behaviors under fewer and more opportunities. We further identified that pupil dilation reflected the levels of decision difficulty and subsequent choices to accept or reject the stimulus at each opportunity. The value sensitivity, a model-based estimate that characterizes each individual\u2019s subjective valuation, correlated with the extent to which individuals\u2019 physiological responses tracked stimuli information. Our results provide model-based and physiological evidence for subjective valuation in finite sequential decision-making, rediscovering human suboptimality in subjectively optimal decision-making processes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1009633","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,16]],"date-time":"2021-12-16T18:26:17Z","timestamp":1639679177000},"page":"e1009633","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Subjective optimality in finite sequential decision-making"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2090-9900","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yeonju","family":"Sin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8620-7835","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"HeeYoung","family":"Seon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yun Kyoung","family":"Shin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9866-8222","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Oh-Sang","family":"Kwon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1999-0326","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Dongil","family":"Chung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,16]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pcbi.1009633.ref001","first-page":"282","article-title":"Who solved the secretary problem?","volume":"4","author":"TS Ferguson","year":"1989","journal-title":"Statistical science"},{"key":"pcbi.1009633.ref002","first-page":"189","article-title":"The secretary problem and its extensions: A review","author":"P. 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