The neurocognitive role of working memory load when Pavlovian motivational control affects instrumental learning.

ABSTRACT: Research suggests that a fast, capacity-limited working memory (WM) system and a slow, incremental reinforcement learning (RL) system jointly contribute to instrumental learning. Thus, situations that strain WM resources alter instrumental learning: under WM loads, learning becomes slow and incremental, the reliance on computationally efficient learning increases, and action selection becomes more random. It is also suggested that Pavlovian learning influences people's behavior during instrumental learning by providing hard-wired instinctive responses including approach to reward predictors and avoidance of punishment predictors. However, it remains unknown how constraints on WM resources affect instrumental learning under Pavlovian influence. Thus, we conducted a functional magnetic reson

SUBMITTER: Park H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10732416 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature