TY - JOUR
T1 - Risky decision making from childhood through adulthood
T2 - Contributions of learning and sensitivity to negative feedback
AU - Humphreys, Kathryn L.
AU - Telzer, Eva H.
AU - Flannery, Jessica
AU - Goff, Bonnie
AU - Gabard-Durnam, Laurel
AU - Gee, Dylan G.
AU - Lee, Steve S.
AU - Tottenham, Nim
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Grant R01MH091864 and the Dana Foundation to Nim Tottenham, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to Kathryn L. Humphreys. We would like to acknowledge Andrew Dismukes for his help in figure creation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Psychological Association.
PY - 2016/2/1
Y1 - 2016/2/1
N2 - Decision making in the context of risk is a complex and dynamic process that changes across development. Here, we assessed the influence of sensitivity to negative feedback (e.g., loss) and learning on age-related changes in risky decision making, both of which show unique developmental trajectories. In the present study, we examined risky decision making in 216 individuals, ranging in age from 3-26 years, using the balloon emotional learning task (BELT), a computerized task in which participants pump up a series of virtual balloons to earn points, but risk balloon explosion on each trial, which results in no points. It is important to note that there were 3 balloon conditions, signified by different balloon colors, ranging from quick- to slow-to-explode, and participants could learn the color- condition pairings through task experience. Overall, we found age-related increases in pumps made and points earned. However, in the quick-to-explode condition, there was a nonlinear adolescent peak for points earned. Follow-up analyses indicated that this adolescent phenotype occurred at the developmental intersection of linear age-related increases in learning and decreases in sensitivity to negative feedback. Adolescence was marked by intermediate values on both these processes. These findings show that a combination of linearly changing processes can result in nonlinear changes in risky decision making, the adolescent-specific nature of which is associated with developmental improvements in learning and reduced sensitivity to negative feedback.
AB - Decision making in the context of risk is a complex and dynamic process that changes across development. Here, we assessed the influence of sensitivity to negative feedback (e.g., loss) and learning on age-related changes in risky decision making, both of which show unique developmental trajectories. In the present study, we examined risky decision making in 216 individuals, ranging in age from 3-26 years, using the balloon emotional learning task (BELT), a computerized task in which participants pump up a series of virtual balloons to earn points, but risk balloon explosion on each trial, which results in no points. It is important to note that there were 3 balloon conditions, signified by different balloon colors, ranging from quick- to slow-to-explode, and participants could learn the color- condition pairings through task experience. Overall, we found age-related increases in pumps made and points earned. However, in the quick-to-explode condition, there was a nonlinear adolescent peak for points earned. Follow-up analyses indicated that this adolescent phenotype occurred at the developmental intersection of linear age-related increases in learning and decreases in sensitivity to negative feedback. Adolescence was marked by intermediate values on both these processes. These findings show that a combination of linearly changing processes can result in nonlinear changes in risky decision making, the adolescent-specific nature of which is associated with developmental improvements in learning and reduced sensitivity to negative feedback.
KW - Development
KW - Risky decision making
KW - Sensitivity to negative feedback
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U2 - 10.1037/emo0000116
DO - 10.1037/emo0000116
M3 - Article
C2 - 26389647
AN - SCOPUS:84955377190
SN - 1528-3542
VL - 16
SP - 101
EP - 109
JO - Emotion
JF - Emotion
IS - 1
ER -