Which of the next statements is correct? “When making a decision under uncertainty, a Bayesian observer…”

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When evaluating how a Bayesian observer makes decisions under uncertainty, we need to consider how evidence is combined with prior information. 
Option 1: '…puts more weight on the sensory information because it’s less reliable.' This is incorrect. In Bayesian reasoning, more reliable (more trustworthy) information should have greater influence on the posterior, while less reliable data should have less influence. Saying it weights less reliable sensory information contradicts the core idea that reliability guides updating.
Option 2: '…puts more weight on the source of information that is more reliable.' This aligns with Bayesian principles. A Bayesian observer updates beliefs by weighing evidence in proportion to its reliability (likelihood). More reliable evidence contributes more to the posterior belief, while less reliable evidence contributes less, reflecting the uncertainty of the data.
Option 3: '…makes a random guess because of the underlying uncertainty.' This misses the Bayesian mechanism entirely. Rather than guessing randomly, a Bayesian updater systematically incorporates uncertainty and computes a posterior distribution by combining prior and likelihood, not by random guessing.
Option 4: '…puts more weight on the prior information because it’s less reliable.' This misstates the role of the prior. The weighting depends on the relative certainty of the prior versus the new evidence. If the prior were truly less reliable, it would contribute less, and Bayes' rule would tilt more toward the data. The claim that the prior is always less reliable and thus dominates is not consistent with Bayesian updating.

PSYC30018_2025_SM1 Exam: Neuroscience and the Mind (PSYC30018_2025_SM1)- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

Which of the next statements is correct? “When making a decision under uncertainty, a Bayesian observer…”

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