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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
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Assessing the Multiple Dimensions of Engagement to Characterize Learning: A Neurophysiological Perspective
Published on: July 1, 2015
Sex differences in task engagement and lapse rate during reward learning
Claudia G Aguirre1, Jae H Woo2, Lana Alhabbal1
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90045, United States.
Oxford Open Neuroscience
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Female rats show similar accuracy in reward learning but disengage more often than males, especially after reward rule changes. This highlights sex differences in flexible learning and task persistence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Limited understanding of sex differences in reward learning due to male-predominant research.
- Reward learning is crucial for adaptive behavior and involves flexible adjustments to changing contingencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex differences in flexible learning across stimulus- and action-based reward tasks.
- To analyze behavioral adjustments during reversal learning phases in male and female rats.
- To model trial-by-trial choices using reinforcement learning (RL) to understand behavioral state transitions.
Main Methods:
- Rats (male and female) performed touchscreen tasks for action- and stimulus-based reward learning.
- Reversal learning phases involved switching reward contingencies.
- Behavioral data were modeled using reinforcement learning (RL) models, including those capturing state transitions.
Main Results:
- Females and males showed comparable accuracy in discrimination and reversal learning.
- Female rats collected fewer rewards and omitted more trials than males.
- RL models incorporating behavioral state transitions better explained the data, revealing higher lapse rates in females during reversals, indicating task disengagement.
Conclusions:
- Sex differences exist in flexible reward learning, particularly in task engagement and disengagement during reversals.
- Females exhibit greater task disengagement after reward contingencies change, suggesting different strategies in flexible learning.
- These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of sex-based variations in reward processing and learning.
