<p>According to <a href="http://incompleteideas.net/book/bookdraft2017nov5.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sutton and Barto</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The term soft-max for the action selection rule ... is due to <a href="https://papers.nips.cc/paper/195-training-stochastic-model-recognition-algorithms-as-networks-can-lead-to-maximum-mutual-information-estimation-of-parameters" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bridle (1990)</a>.
  This rule appears to have been first proposed by <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1960-03588-000" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Luce (1959)</a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-27T10:25:49.363Z
2019-11-27T10:25:49.363Z
Ohad Dan
<p>Softmax is a mathematical function frequently used to model probabilistic choice between multiple alternatives associated with different values, e.g. two arms in a bandit task; See for example [1] and [2]. </p>

<p>Where was this method first applied?</p>

<p><em>[1] Shteingart, Hanan, Tal Neiman, and Yonatan Loewenstein. "The role of first impression in operant learning." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 142.2 (2013): 476.‏</em></p>

<p><em>[2] Egelman, David M., Christophe Person, and P. Read Montague. "A computational role for dopamine delivery in human decision-making." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 10.5 (1998): 623-630.</em></p>

<computational-modeling><decision-making>
Who was the first to use Softmax to model decision making?
Ohad Dan
# Who was the first to use Softmax to model decision making?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-11-24)

Softmax is a mathematical function frequently used to model probabilistic choice between multiple alternatives associated with different values, e.g. two arms in a bandit task; See for example [1] and [2].

Where was this method first applied?

*[1] Shteingart, Hanan, Tal Neiman, and Yonatan Loewenstein. "The role of first impression in operant learning." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 142.2 (2013): 476.‏*

*[2] Egelman, David M., Christophe Person, and P. Read Montague. "A computational role for dopamine delivery in human decision-making." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 10.5 (1998): 623-630.*

**Tags:** computational-modeling, decision-making


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2019-11-27. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

According to [Sutton and Barto](http://incompleteideas.net/book/bookdraft2017nov5.pdf):

> The term soft-max for the action selection rule ... is due to [Bridle (1990)](https://papers.nips.cc/paper/195-training-stochastic-model-recognition-algorithms-as-networks-can-lead-to-maximum-mutual-information-estimation-of-parameters).
> This rule appears to have been first proposed by [Luce (1959)](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1960-03588-000)


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