Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2025
06:35
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
34.2K
Reward-motivated memories influence new learning across development
Alexandra O Cohen1, Camille V Phaneuf1, Gail M Rosenbaum1
1Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.
Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|October 17, 2022
Summary
Past rewards hinder new learning in children and adults. Individual differences in memory prioritization of rewards also impact learning performance across all ages.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Previous rewarding experiences influence current choices.
- Individual differences exist in how value transfers across contexts.
- Reward sensitivity changes developmentally, affecting goal-directed behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how past reward associations impact current learning from childhood to adulthood.
- To examine the role of individual differences in memory prioritization of rewards on new learning.
Main Methods:
- Participants completed a reinforcement learning task with previously encountered (high/low reward) and novel stimuli.
- Behavioral data analyzed to assess learning performance and memory prioritization.
Main Results:
- Prior high-reward associations impeded learning across all age groups.
- Higher prioritization of high-reward memories correlated with worse learning performance.
- Adolescents showed impaired early learning irrespective of memory prioritization.
Conclusions:
- Past reward associations proactively interfere with future learning from childhood to adulthood.
- Individual differences in reward memory prioritization significantly influence new learning outcomes.
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