Abstract:Developmental researchers have suggested that adolescents are characterized by stronger reward sensitivity than both children and younger adults. However, at this point, little is known about the extent to which developmental differences in incentive processing influence feedback-based learning. In this study, we applied an incentivized reinforcement learning task, in which errors resulted in losing money (loss condition), failure to gain money (gain condition), or neither (no-incentive condition). Children (1… Show more
“…The ERN is a negative deflection occurring 0–100 ms after an erroneous response. It is thought to represent a rapid, automatic internal response evaluation mechanism ( Unger et al, 2014 ). Its homolog after correct responses is correct-response negativity (CRN): an event-related potential of similar topography and source of generation, but with much less prominent amplitude.…”
The presented study refers to cognitive aspects of burnout as the effects of long-term work-related stress. The purpose of the study was to investigate electrophysiological correlates of burnout to explain the mechanisms of the core burnout symptoms: exhaustion and depersonalization/cynicism. The analyzed errorrelated electrophysiological markers shed light on impaired cognitive mechanisms and the specific changes in information-processing in burnout. In the EEG study design (N = 80), two components of error-related potential (ERP), error-related negativity (ERN), and error positivity (Pe), were analyzed. In the non-clinical burnout group (N = 40), a significant increase in ERN amplitude and a decrease in Pe amplitude were observed compared to controls (N = 40). Enhanced error detection, indexed by increased ERN amplitude, and diminished response monitoring, indexed by decreased Pe amplitude, reveal emerging cognitive problems in the non-clinical burnout group. Cognitive impairments in burnout subjects relate to both reactive and unconscious (ERN) and proactive and conscious (Pe) aspects of error processing. The results indicate a stronger 'reactive control mode' that can deplete resources for proactive control and the ability to actively maintain goals. The analysis refers to error processing and specific task demands, thus should not be extended to cognitive processes in general. The characteristics of ERP patterns in burnout resemble psychophysiological indexes of anxiety (increased ERN) and depressive symptoms (decreased Pe), showing to some extent an overlapping effect of burnout and related symptoms and disorders. The results support the scarce existing data on the psychobiological nature of burnout, while extending and specifying its cognitive characteristics.
“…The ERN is a negative deflection occurring 0–100 ms after an erroneous response. It is thought to represent a rapid, automatic internal response evaluation mechanism ( Unger et al, 2014 ). Its homolog after correct responses is correct-response negativity (CRN): an event-related potential of similar topography and source of generation, but with much less prominent amplitude.…”
The presented study refers to cognitive aspects of burnout as the effects of long-term work-related stress. The purpose of the study was to investigate electrophysiological correlates of burnout to explain the mechanisms of the core burnout symptoms: exhaustion and depersonalization/cynicism. The analyzed errorrelated electrophysiological markers shed light on impaired cognitive mechanisms and the specific changes in information-processing in burnout. In the EEG study design (N = 80), two components of error-related potential (ERP), error-related negativity (ERN), and error positivity (Pe), were analyzed. In the non-clinical burnout group (N = 40), a significant increase in ERN amplitude and a decrease in Pe amplitude were observed compared to controls (N = 40). Enhanced error detection, indexed by increased ERN amplitude, and diminished response monitoring, indexed by decreased Pe amplitude, reveal emerging cognitive problems in the non-clinical burnout group. Cognitive impairments in burnout subjects relate to both reactive and unconscious (ERN) and proactive and conscious (Pe) aspects of error processing. The results indicate a stronger 'reactive control mode' that can deplete resources for proactive control and the ability to actively maintain goals. The analysis refers to error processing and specific task demands, thus should not be extended to cognitive processes in general. The characteristics of ERP patterns in burnout resemble psychophysiological indexes of anxiety (increased ERN) and depressive symptoms (decreased Pe), showing to some extent an overlapping effect of burnout and related symptoms and disorders. The results support the scarce existing data on the psychobiological nature of burnout, while extending and specifying its cognitive characteristics.
“…Rewards are used to promote learning by highlighting desired behaviors and incentivizing corrections of prior mistakes (Schultz et al, 1997). Previous work in developmental psychology indicates that rewards play a particularly powerful motivational role in late childhood (Ferdinand et al, 2022;Kray et al, 2018;Teslovich et al, 2014;Unger et al, 2014). For example, older children and young adolescents (8 to 15 years) perform faster in an anti-saccade task (Geier & Luna, 2012) and better in a cued perceptual task (Padmanabhan et al, 2011) when they are incentivized compared to when they are not, contrary to older adolescents and adults who perform similarly.…”
Section: The Effects Of Rewards On Learning In Late Childhoodmentioning
Humans’ ability to rapidly identify appropriate actions in new situations is critical for survival and functional behavior. This skill develops through trial and error where humans get rewards for their actions, and through few attempts, learn the optimal subsequent action. Here, we used computerised reasoning games to test developmental changes in whether and how rewards affect trial-and-error learning. School-aged children (5- to 15-year-olds) played online games in which they had to access their physical knowledge and predict physical events to succeed. We systematically changed the rewards so children received either high positive rewards for success, high negative rewards for failure, or no reward. We evaluated differences between the groups in terms of performance (success rate, attempt and attempt duration) and strategy (which tools were selected and where they were positioned). Children in the Negative-Rewards group showed significant improvement with age—they succeeded more, used fewer attempts, and applied more efficient strategies. In contrast, we did not find developmental changes in the Positive-Rewards or No Reward groups. Our findings demonstrate a developmental shift in how rewards affect trial-and-error, and suggest that negative rewards emerge as a powerful cognitive reinforcer during late childhood.
Children's prosocial behaviour is a core feature of their social development as well as their resilience, but it has not yet been examined in siblings exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). The goals of the present study were: (1) To describe prosocial behaviour between siblings exposed to IPV by exploring linkages with exposure to violence, sibling spacing, child age, and self-esteem; (2) To investigate if prosocial behaviour varied as a function of sibling relationship quality; and (3) To assess if child adjustment problems were related to sibling prosocial behaviour. Forty-seven families with two school-aged siblings aged eight and eleven years on average were recruited from the community.Observations of unstructured sibling interaction were coded for prosocial behaviour as well as declined prosocial offers and requests. Children reported on their self-esteem and on the quality of their sibling relationships. Mothers reported on internalizing and externalizing problems for each child. Results showed that prosocial behaviour was positively associated with greater sibling warmth and sibling spacing, but not related to exposure to IPV or child self-esteem. Declined prosocial behaviours were positively associated with maternal reports of physical IPV and negatively associated with child age. Prosocial behaviour differed significantly across relationship typologies; it was more frequent in intense relationships, and when sibling spacing was larger. By examining sibling prosociality, this exploratory
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.