Individual differences in sequential decision-making

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 5, 2025

1People differ widely in how they make decisions uncertain environments. While many studies leverage this variability to measure differences specific cognitive processes and parameters, the key dimension(s) of individual decision-making tasks has not been identified. Here, we analyzed behavioral data from 1001 participants performing a restless three-armed bandit task, where reward probabilities fluctuated unpredictably over time. Using novel analytical approach that controlled for stochasticity tasks, identified dominant nonlinear axis variability. We found primary was strongly selectively correlated with probability exploration, as inferred by latent state modeling. This suggests major factor shaping task performance is tendency explore (versus exploit), rather than personality characteristics, reinforcement learning model or low-level strategies. Certain demographic characteristics also predicted variance along principle axis: at exploratory end tended be younger exploitative end, self-identified men were overrepresented both extremes. Together, these findings offer principled framework understanding behavior while highlighting factors shape under uncertainty.

Language: Английский

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The causal structure and computational value of narratives

Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 28(8), P. 769 - 781

Published: May 10, 2024

Language: Английский

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Understanding explore-exploit dynamics in child development: current insights and future directions

Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2

Published: Sept. 23, 2024

Examining children's decisions to explore or exploit the environment provides a window into their developing metacognition and reflection capacities. Reinforcement learning, characterized by balance between exploring new options (exploration) utilizing known ones (exploitation), is central this discussion. Children initially exhibit broad intensive exploration, which gradually shifts toward exploitation as they grow. We review major theories empirical findings, highlighting two main exploration strategies: random directed. The former involves stochastic choices without considering information rewards, while latter driven reducing uncertainty for gain. Behavioral tasks such n-armed bandit, horizon, patch foraging are used study these strategies. Findings on bandit horizon showed mixed results whether decreases over time. Directed consistently with age, but its emergence depends task difficulty. In patch-foraging tasks, adults tend overexploit (staying too long in one patch) children overexplore (leaving early), whereas adolescents display most optimal balance. paper also addresses open questions regarding mechanisms supporting early application of strategies real-life contexts like persistence. Future research should further investigate relation cognitive control, executive function metacognition, explore-exploit strategies, examine practical implications adaptive learning decision-making children.

Language: Английский

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Navigating Exploitative Traps: Unveiling the Uncontrollable Reward Seeking of Individuals With Internet Gaming Disorder

Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 10(1), P. 26 - 36

Published: June 3, 2024

Language: Английский

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A unified account of why optimism declines in childhood

Nature Reviews Psychology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 4(1), P. 35 - 48

Published: Nov. 18, 2024

Language: Английский

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Visceral afferent training in action: The origins of agency in early cognitive development

Published: July 24, 2023

The foetal period constitutes a critical stage in the construction and organisation of mammalian nervous system. In recent work, we have proposed that brain development is structured by bottom-up (interoceptive) inputs from spontaneous physiological rhythms such as heartbeat (Corcoran et al., 2024). Here, expand this visceral afferent training hypothesis to incorporate top-down (allostatic) control over bodily states. We conceptualise emergence cardiac regulation an early instance sensorimotor contingency learning scaffolds agentic control. further propose brain’s capacity actively modify regulate feedback it receives through interoceptive (and other) channels – parse these signals into their self-generated (reafferent) externally-generated (exafferent) components crucial for grounding distinction between self other. Finally, explore how individual differences ways regimes are implemented (or disrupted) might impact developmental trajectories gestation infancy, potentiating neurobehavioural diversity disease risk later life.

Language: Английский

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How adolescents learn to build social bonds: A developmental computational account of social explore-exploit decision-making

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 69, P. 101415 - 101415

Published: July 26, 2024

Building social bonds is a critical task of adolescence that affords opportunities for learning, identity formation, and support. Failing to develop close relationships in hinders adult interpersonal functioning contributes problems such as loneliness depression. During adolescence, increased reward sensitivity greater flexibility both contribute healthy development, yet we lack clear theory how these processes interact support functioning. Here, propose synthesizing two literatures using computational reinforcement learning framework recasts adolescents pursue learn from rewards explore-exploit problem. To become socially skilled, must balance their efforts form individual within specific groups manage memberships across multiple maximize access resources. We draw on insights sociological studies capital collective networks neurocognitive research foraging cooperation describe the dilemma faced by navigating modern world with increasing diverse resources group memberships. Our account provides important new directions examining dynamics adolescent behavior understanding value computations can positive into adulthood.

Language: Английский

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Playing to Survive: Children and Innovation During the Little Ice Age in Greenland

European Journal of Archaeology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 1 - 20

Published: Oct. 29, 2024

Greenland is the world's largest island, but only a narrow strip of land between Inland Ice and sea inhabitable. Yet, Norse chose to settle here around ad 986. During eleventh century , precontact Inuit people moved into from northern Alaska via Canada. Although two cultures faced same climatic changes during Little Age, thrived, while did not, for multiple causes. The authors focus on one these causes, hitherto overlooked contribution young children's learning strategies societal adaptation. detailed analysis large corpus play objects reveals striking differences material culture in cultures: rich diverse more limited normative Norse. Drawing insights developmental psychology, discuss possible effects future adaptability variable conditions.

Language: Английский

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Visceral afferent training in action: The origins of agency in early cognitive development

Developmental Review, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 75, P. 101184 - 101184

Published: Dec. 28, 2024

Language: Английский

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Developmental arcs of plasticity in whole movement repertoires of a clonal fish

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 8, 2023

Abstract Developmental plasticity at the behavioral repertoire level allows animals to incrementally adjust their phenotypes match environments through ontogeny, serving as a lynchpin between ecological factors that cue phenotypic adjustments and evolutionary forces select upon emergent variation. Quantifying continuous arcs of throughout animals’ development, however, has often been prohibitively challenging. Here, we leverage recent advancements in high-resolution tracking analysis (i) track behavior 45 genetically identical fish clones ( Poecilia formosa ) reared near-identical during first four weeks life 0.2 s resolution (ii) quantify across entire repertoires development. Doing so, are able test one most fundamental theoretical predictions from Bayesian models development stable (but initially unknown) environments, should gradually decrease maximum beginning life. Using two approaches measure individual metrics before also developing novel whole-repertoire approach calculates degree ‘behavioral entropy’ multi-dimensional phenotype space. We robustly find – despite experimentally matching best possible assumptions predict decreasing ∼two-week initial increase movement behaviors subsequently decreased. Our results challenge common intuition about optimal developmental course early thereby demonstrating value long-term for testing on Significance statement Behavioral may help uncertainty moderately unpredictable environments. In this becoming less sensitive incoming information (and thus behaviorally plastic) they age. This intuitive expectation ‘old dog’ inflexibility ‘new tricks’, not adequately tested with long-term, highresolution datasets would be ideal. achieve such emphasize significance study (1) providing method quantifying continuously timeseries (2) theory links temporal patterning environmental conditions evolved patterns

Language: Английский

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