The rational use of causal inference to guide reinforcement learning strengthens with age.

ABSTRACT: Beliefs about the controllability of positive or negative events in the environment can shape learning throughout the lifespan. Previous research has shown that adults' learning is modulated by beliefs about the causal structure of the environment such that they update their value estimates to a lesser extent when the outcomes can be attributed to hidden causes. This study examined whether external causes similarly influenced outcome attributions and learning across development. Ninety participants, ages 7 to 25 years, completed a reinforcement learning task in which they chose between two options with fixed reward probabilities. Choices were made in three distinct environments in which different hidden agents occasionally intervened to generate positive, negative, or random outcomes. Part

SUBMITTER: Cohen AO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7591882 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature