Reward and avoidance learning in the context of aversive environments and possible implications for depressive symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aversive stimuli in the environment influence human actions. This includes valence-dependent influences on action selection, e.g., increased avoidance but decreased approach behavior. However, it is yet unclear how aversive stimuli interact with complex learning and decision-making in the reward and avoidance domain. Moreover, the underlying computational mechanisms of these decision-making biases are unknown.

Methods

To elucidate these mechanisms, 54 healthy young male subjects performed a two-step sequential decision-making task, which allows to computationally model different aspects of learning, e.g., model-free, habitual, and model-based, goal-directed learning. We used a within-subject design, crossing task valence (reward vs. punishment learning) with emoti

SUBMITTER: Sebold M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6695365 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature