Older adults fail to form stable task representations during model-based reversal inference

作     者：Haemmerer, Dorothea Schwartenbeck, Philipp Gallagher, Maria FitzGerald, Thomas Henry Benedict Duezel, Emrah Dolan, Raymond Joseph 

作者机构：UCL Inst Cognit Neurosci 17 Queen Sq London WC1N 3AZ England Otto von Guericke Univ Inst Cognit Neurol & Dementia Res Magdeburg Germany German Ctr Neurodegenerat Dis Magdeburg Germany Univ Salzburg Ctr Cognit Neurosci Salzburg Austria Paracelsus Med Univ Salzburg Neurosci Inst Christian Doppler Klin Salzburg Austria UCL Wellcome Trust Ctr Neuroimaging London England Univ Oxford Nuffield Dept Clin Neurosci Oxford Ctr Funct MRI Brain Oxford England Royal Holloway Univ London Dept Psychol Egham Surrey England Univ East Anglia Sch Psychol Norwich Norfolk England Max Planck UCL Ctr Computat Psychiat & Ageing Res London England 

出 版 物：《NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING》 (衰老神经生物学)

年 卷 期：2019年第74卷

页      面：90-100页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 1002[医学-临床医学] 1001[医学-基础医学(可授医学、理学学位)] 07[理学] 071003[理学-生理学] 

基　　金：German Academic Exchange Service Human Brain Project [SP3 WP 3.3.1] Medical Research Council [MR/P012698/1] DFG (German Research Foundation) [SFB (Sonderforschungsbereich) 779] MRC [MR/P012698/1] Funding Source: UKRI 

主　　题：Decision-making Task representations Pupillometry Model-based inference Aging Feedback evaluation 

摘      要：Older adults struggle in dealing with changeable and uncertain environments across several cognitive domains. This has been attributed to difficulties in forming adequate task representations that help navigate uncertain environments. Here, we investigate how, in older adults, inadequate task representations impact on model-based reversal learning. We combined computational modeling and pupillometry during a novel model-based reversal learning task, which allowed us to isolate the relevance of task representations at feedback evaluation. We find that older adults overestimate the changeability of task states and consequently are less able to converge on unequivocal task representations through learning. Pupillometric measures and behavioral data show that these unreliable task representations in older adults manifest as a reduced ability to focus on feedback that is relevant for updating task representations, and as a reduced metacognitive awareness in the accuracy of their actions. Instead, the data suggested older adults choice behavior was more consistent with a guidance by uninformative feedback properties such as outcome valence. Our study highlights that an inability to form adequate task representations may be a crucial factor underlying older adults impaired model-based inference. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.