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People divide complex tasks into simpler subtasks in a way that balances ease of planning with efficient behavior, consistent with a new computational theory

06.01.23 | PLOS

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People divide complex tasks into simpler subtasks in a way that balances ease of planning with efficient behavior, consistent with a new computational theory
Dividing a task into simpler subtasks can make planning easier. At bottom, the task requires navigating a maze from the entry (at left) to the exit (at right; glowing arrow). At top, the maze is divided into subtasks, showing two key elements of hierarchical planning: an abstract plan between subtasks (boxes) and a concrete plan from the entry to the first subgoal (glowing circle). Dividing the task in this way makes it easier to plan. Our research article finds that people choose subgoals by ba Credit: Carlos G. Correa, CC-BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011087

Article Title: Humans decompose tasks by trading off utility and computational cost

Author Countries : USA

Funding: This research was supported by John Templeton Foundation grant 61454 awarded to TLG and NDD (https://www.templeton.org/), U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research grant FA 9550-18-1-0077 awarded to TLG (https://www.afrl.af.mil/AFOSR/), and U.S. Army Research Office grant ARO W911NF-16-1-0474 awarded to NDD (https://www.arl.army.mil/who-we-are/directorates/aro/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

PLOS Computational Biology

10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011087

Humans decompose tasks by trading off utility and computational cost

1-Jun-2023

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Keywords

Computational Science

Article Information

Journal
PLOS Computational Biology
DOI
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011087
Article Publication Date
2023-06-01
Article Title
Humans decompose tasks by trading off utility and computational cost
COI Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Charlotte Bhaskar
PLOS
onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:
PLOS. (2023, June 1). People divide complex tasks into simpler subtasks in a way that balances ease of planning with efficient behavior, consistent with a new computational theory. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LRDM06Y8/people-divide-complex-tasks-into-simpler-subtasks-in-a-way-that-balances-ease-of-planning-with-efficient-behavior-consistent-with-a-new-computational-theory.html
MLA:
"People divide complex tasks into simpler subtasks in a way that balances ease of planning with efficient behavior, consistent with a new computational theory." Brightsurf News, Jun. 1 2023, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/LRDM06Y8/people-divide-complex-tasks-into-simpler-subtasks-in-a-way-that-balances-ease-of-planning-with-efficient-behavior-consistent-with-a-new-computational-theory.html.