Output-Contingent Working Memory and Decision-Making in Economic Choices

In daily life, economic decisions often unfold sequentially. The brain is thought to compute the subjective value of each option, and comparisons can occur in different reference frames, for example, based on the commodity or presentation order. While primate prefrontal recordings have identified various reference frames for economic choice, it remains unclear how distinct neural mechanisms support them even in similar tasks. To address this, we trained recurrent neural networks (RNNs) on two sequential economic decision-making tasks differing only in output contingencies. Analysis of RNN activity, combined with latent connectivity inference, revealed distinct regimes: commodity-based choices with attractor dynamics and order-based choices with rotational dynamics. Moreover, value and choice representations in the order-based tasks aligned with neural data from a novel experiment where reference frames were not explicitly constrained. Our results suggest that different reference frames emerge depending on task demands and engage distinct working memory and decision-making mechanisms.