Learning and altering behaviours by reinforcement: neurocognitive differences between children and adults
E Shephard1, G M Jackson1, M J Groom1
1Division of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham Innovation Park, Jubilee Campus, Triumph Road, Nottingham NG7 2TU, UK.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|December 25, 2013
Summary
Children struggle more than adults when learning needs to be reversed, showing specific reinforcement learning difficulties. This may stem from developing executive functions and response monitoring skills in children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Reinforcement learning is crucial for adapting behavior based on feedback.
- Understanding developmental differences in reinforcement learning is key to explaining cognitive maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neurocognitive differences in reinforcement learning between children and adults.
- To examine how children and adults adapt to changes in learned stimulus-response associations.
Main Methods:
- Compared 14 children (mean age 10.2) and 15 adults (mean age 25.5) on a feedback-based stimulus-response learning task.
- Recorded electrophysiological activity, including event-related potentials (ERPs) like P3 and feedback-related negativity (FRN).
- Assessed performance during acquisition and reversal phases of the learning task.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences in performance or ERPs during initial learning (acquisition).
- Children's performance was more disrupted during the reversal phase compared to adults.
- Feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes were modulated by the reversal phase in children, but not adults.
Conclusions:
- Children exhibit specific difficulties in reinforcement learning when previously learned associations must be altered.
- Developmental differences in executive functions, such as response monitoring, may underlie children's challenges in reversing learned behaviors.
- Findings suggest distinct developmental trajectories in reinforcement learning strategies between children and adults.
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