Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena01:15

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

1.4K
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not...
1.4K
Drug Dependence01:17

Drug Dependence

1.8K
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
1.8K
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

1.5K
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
1.5K
Neural Circuits01:25

Neural Circuits

3.1K
Neural circuits and neuronal pools are two of the main structures found in the nervous system. Neural circuits are networks of neurons that work together to carry out a specific task or process. They consist of interconnected neurons and glial cells, which provide structural and metabolic support.
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
3.1K
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness01:14

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

3.1K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
3.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sense of agency and decision making.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same author

Sense of agency and addiction.

Frontiers in psychology·2026
Same author

Is there a criterion in criterial learning? Insights from studying feedback delays.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
Same author

Context modulates brain state dynamics and behavioral responses during narrative comprehension.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026
Same author

Context modulates brain state dynamics and behavioral responses during narrative comprehension.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Just do it: A neuropsychological theory of agency, cognition, mood, and dopamine.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats
08:07

Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats

Published on: August 24, 2016

9.7K

Dopamine dependence in aggregate feedback learning: A computational cognitive neuroscience approach.

Vivian V Valentin1, W Todd Maddox2, F Gregory Ashby1

  • 1Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States.

Brain and Cognition
|September 7, 2016
PubMed
Summary

New research on procedural learning reveals dopamine signals in the striatum. Models predicting dopamine release propagation struggle with complex skill acquisition tasks, suggesting new learning mechanisms are needed.

Keywords:
Computational cognitive neuroscienceDopamineParameter space partitioningSkill learningStriatal plasticity

More Related Videos

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents
09:13

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents

Published on: May 3, 2012

14.9K
Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience
08:14

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience

Published on: August 26, 2014

12.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats
08:07

Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats

Published on: August 24, 2016

9.7K
A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents
09:13

A Fully Automated and Highly Versatile System for Testing Multi-cognitive Functions and Recording Neuronal Activities in Rodents

Published on: May 3, 2012

14.9K
Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience
08:14

Comprehensive Analysis of Transcription Dynamics from Brain Samples Following Behavioral Experience

Published on: August 26, 2014

12.2K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Procedural learning, crucial for skill acquisition, relies on dopamine-mediated striatal plasticity.
  • Existing models often focus on simple stimulus-response learning with immediate feedback.
  • Many real-world skills involve sequential actions preceding feedback, posing a challenge for current models.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate procedural learning in a task with delayed, aggregate feedback for sequential actions.
  • To test the explanatory power of established procedural learning models against novel behavioral data.
  • To explore the impact of dopamine signaling timing on complex skill acquisition.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a novel procedural learning task involving three successive, unsupervised categorization responses with aggregate feedback.
  • Empirical testing of learning performance across different stimulus positions.
  • Theoretical analysis using parameter space partitioning to evaluate existing procedural learning models.
  • Experimental validation of model predictions regarding training order (forward vs. backward).

Main Results:

  • Superior learning was observed for stimuli in the third position, with initial deficits and subsequent recovery in earlier positions.
  • A significant class of procedural learning models, including those with eligibility traces, failed to fully explain the observed learning patterns.
  • Dopamine release associated with later stimuli was found to potentially impair learning in earlier stages.
  • Training initiated with the first action (forward) significantly improved learning compared to starting with the last action (backward).

Conclusions:

  • Standard procedural learning models may be insufficient for explaining complex skill acquisition with delayed feedback.
  • The timing and propagation of dopamine signals play a critical, non-intuitive role in sequential learning.
  • The order of introducing actions during training critically impacts learning efficiency, supporting a forward-learning advantage.