Fearful snake pictures make monkeys pessimistic

Iki, Sakumi; Adachi, Ikuma

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107622

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…The agent begins with an optimistic state factor of [0.8, 0.2]. As optimism is a robust bias and is seen across species, we hypothesise that humans and animals alike are innately optimistic and therefore begin life with an optimism bias (Bateson et al, 2011;Iki & Adachi, 2023;Lagisz et al, 2020). In the second level of the model the agent changes its optimism or pessimism through exposure to high and low arousal and negatively and positively valanced events, where high valence observations are considered more likely conditional on the optimistic hidden state factor, and vice versa.…”

Section: Simulation Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Taking these findings together, it is unsurprising that optimistic individuals have less overall stress and worry (Conversano et al, 2010). Interestingly, optimism is a robust bias and is seen across species (Bateson et al, 2011;Iki & Adachi, 2023;Lagisz et al, 2020). However, mental health conditions, such as major depression, are linked to diminished optimism or a negativity bias suggesting optimism may be lost throughout life (Garrett et al, 2014;Korn et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Active Inference Model of the Optimism Bias

Fisher,

Whyte,

Hohwy

2024

Preprint

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The optimism bias is a cognitive bias where individuals overestimate the likelihood of good outcomes and underestimate the likelihood of bad outcomes. Associated with improved quality of life, optimism bias is considered to be adaptive and is a promising avenue of research for mental health interventions in conditions where individuals lack optimism such as major depressive disorder. Here we lay the groundwork for future research on optimism as an intervention by introducing a domain general formal model of optimism bias, which can be applied in different task settings. Employing the active inference framework, we propose a model of the optimism bias as precision over a positive outcome. First, we simulate how optimism may be lost during development by exposure to negative events. We then ground our model in the empirical literature by showing how the developmentally acquired differences in optimism are expressed in a belief updating task typically used to assess optimism bias. Finally, we show how optimism affects action in a modified two-armed bandit task. Our model and the simulations it affords provide a computational basis for understanding how optimism bias may emerge, how it may be expressed in standard tasks used to assess optimism, and how it affects agents’ decision-making and actions; in combination, this provides a basis for future research on optimism as a mental health intervention.

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Section: Simulation Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%