Understanding the development of reward learning through the lens of meta-learning

Nussenbaum, Kate; Hartley, Catherine A.

doi:10.1038/s44159-024-00304-1

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 205 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Here, we focus on one such factor: decision strategies. Existing theories have proposed that adolescents adapt decision strategies to suit the constraints of their early environment (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18), leading to reduced exploration and increased exploitation among lower-SES adolescents. This shift has been hypothesized to contribute to learning and academic achievement disparities across SES (11,(16)(17)(18)(19).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it has been hypothesized that growing up in a resource-constrained or unpredictable environment shifts decision strategies toward the safety of exploitation over the uncertainty of exploration (11)(12)(13)(14)(16)(17)(18)(19). This developmental shift could be adaptive.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This developmental shift could be adaptive. In resource-constrained environments, exploiting known resources could ensure basic needs are met (11)(12)(13)(14)(16)(17)(18)(19). Furthermore, individuals who lack resources are less insulated from the shortterm costs of exploring.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While adaptive for meeting basic needs, reduced exploration could limit learning (11,12,19). Less exploration could confine individuals to familiar experiences, reducing exposure to novel and cognitively stimulating situations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Exploration is Associated with Socioeconomic Disparities in Learning and Academic Achievement in Adolescence

Decker,

Leonard,

Romeo

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Why do adolescents from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds often underperform on tests of learning and academic achievement? Prior research points to the role of external environmental constraints, like limited financial and educational resources. Here, we ask how these constraints impact internal psychological decision strategies that, in turn, might shape learning disparities. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that lower-SES adolescents adapt decision strategies to favor exploitation over exploration, which, in turn, may limit learning and academic achievement. Adolescents (n=124; 12-14 years old) from diverse SES backgrounds chose how much to explore or exploit during a reward decision task. Exploiting secured immediate reward, but reduced information about the task structure. Exploring led to uncertain reward, but more information, which could be leveraged for better outcomes later. Lower SES was associated with less exploration and more exploitation. Computational modeling revealed that reduced exploration was driven by higher loss aversion rather than differences in beliefs about the value of exploring. We also observed that exploratory tendencies partially explained the relationship between lower SES and reduced task performance, poorer school grades, and, in a lower-SES subsample, lower academic skills. Notably, exploratory behavior was not static but instead fluctuated in response to reward during the task: greater reward boosted subsequent exploration. These findings suggest that learning disparities across SES may reflect not only what resources are available within the early environment but also internal decision strategies that shape how adolescents interact with and, therefore, learn from their environment.

show abstract