Information about action outcomes differentially affects learning from self-determined versus imposed choices
Valérian Chambon (),
Héloïse Théro (),
Marie Vidal,
Henri Vandendriessche,
Patrick Haggard and
Stefano Palminteri ()
Additional contact information
Valérian Chambon: PSL University
Héloïse Théro: PSL University
Marie Vidal: PSL University
Henri Vandendriessche: PSL University
Patrick Haggard: PSL University
Stefano Palminteri: PSL University
Nature Human Behaviour, 2020, vol. 4, issue 10, 1067-1079
Abstract:
Abstract The valence of new information influences learning rates in humans: good news tends to receive more weight than bad news. We investigated this learning bias in four experiments, by systematically manipulating the source of required action (free versus forced choices), outcome contingencies (low versus high reward) and motor requirements (go versus no-go choices). Analysis of model-estimated learning rates showed that the confirmation bias in learning rates was specific to free choices, but was independent of outcome contingencies. The bias was also unaffected by the motor requirements, thus suggesting that it operates in the representational space of decisions, rather than motoric actions. Finally, model simulations revealed that learning rates estimated from the choice-confirmation model had the effect of maximizing performance across low- and high-reward environments. We therefore suggest that choice-confirmation bias may be adaptive for efficient learning of action–outcome contingencies, above and beyond fostering person-level dispositions such as self-esteem.
Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)
Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0919-5 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nathum:v:4:y:2020:i:10:d:10.1038_s41562-020-0919-5
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0919-5
Access Statistics for this article
Nature Human Behaviour is currently edited by Stavroula Kousta
More articles in Nature Human Behaviour from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().