Social learning about the self depends on environmental cues and top-down expectations: A neurocomputational study of adolescents and young adults

Low self-esteem is a risk factor for several mental health issues, and it can be formed because of negative social feedback. Adolescents are particularly at risk, since they may be more influenced by such feedback than adults and have been shown to adjust their self-feelings more in reaction to negative compared to positive feedback. However, both the age bias and the negative learning bias have not been fully supported by previous research as evidence is contradictory. This study aimed to fill this gap by measuring the degree of change in feelings about the self in response to social performance feedback. In this research, a sample of 75 adolescents (12 to 17 years old) and 145 young adults (18 to 25 years old) underwent a task in which they spoke in front of judges. They then had to evaluate statements regarding their performance and subsequently saw the evaluations of judges on the same statements. A reinforcement learning model was adapted to create affective learning rates ...Show moreLow self-esteem is a risk factor for several mental health issues, and it can be formed because of negative social feedback. Adolescents are particularly at risk, since they may be more influenced by such feedback than adults and have been shown to adjust their self-feelings more in reaction to negative compared to positive feedback. However, both the age bias and the negative learning bias have not been fully supported by previous research as evidence is contradictory. This study aimed to fill this gap by measuring the degree of change in feelings about the self in response to social performance feedback. In this research, a sample of 75 adolescents (12 to 17 years old) and 145 young adults (18 to 25 years old) underwent a task in which they spoke in front of judges. They then had to evaluate statements regarding their performance and subsequently saw the evaluations of judges on the same statements. A reinforcement learning model was adapted to create affective learning rates (ALRs), which were compared between adolescents and adults and between positive and negative feedback. Additionally, EEG data was gathered and frontal-midline theta (FMT) activity following feedback was compared between groups. This allowed us to assess to what extent such feedback is processed and integrated as a cue for future behavioral performance. This study found no differences in ALR between age groups, but a significantly higher ALR in response to positive feedback for both age groups. This is inconsistent with previous results, and we suggest that might depend on task structure. No significant difference was found in FMT, and we suggest that may be because FMT is more related to expectancy of feedback rather than to its valence. Together, this study indicates that adjustments in self-esteem following social performance feedback may depend more on environmental demands than developmental differences, and that the way such feedback is processed may rely on top-down expectations.Show less

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Social learning about the self depends on environmental cues and top-down expectations: A neurocomputational study of adolescents and young adults