Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice
Do habits play a role in our social impressions? To investigate the contribution of habits to the formation of social attitudes, we examined the roles of model-free and model-based reinforcement learning in social interactions – computations linked in past work to habit and planning, respectively. P...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02592/full |
| _version_ | 1818140817861115904 |
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| author | Leor M. Hackel Jeffrey J. Berg Björn R. Lindström David M. Amodio David M. Amodio |
| author_facet | Leor M. Hackel Jeffrey J. Berg Björn R. Lindström David M. Amodio David M. Amodio |
| author_sort | Leor M. Hackel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Do habits play a role in our social impressions? To investigate the contribution of habits to the formation of social attitudes, we examined the roles of model-free and model-based reinforcement learning in social interactions – computations linked in past work to habit and planning, respectively. Participants in this study learned about novel individuals in a sequential reinforcement learning paradigm, choosing financial advisors who led them to high- or low-paying stocks. Results indicated that participants relied on both model-based and model-free learning, such that each type of learning was expressed in both advisor choices and post-task self-reported liking of advisors. Specifically, participants preferred advisors who could provide large future rewards as well as advisors who had provided them with large rewards in the past. Although participants relied more heavily on model-based learning overall, they varied in their use of model-based and model-free learning strategies, and this individual difference influenced the way in which learning related to self-reported attitudes: among participants who relied more on model-free learning, model-free social learning related more to post-task attitudes. We discuss implications for attitudes, trait impressions, and social behavior, as well as the role of habits in a memory systems model of social cognition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:50:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b516b9791eb4b1bb3c0ae278fa88805 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:50:01Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b516b9791eb4b1bb3c0ae278fa888052022-12-22T01:10:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782019-11-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.02592473468Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and ChoiceLeor M. Hackel0Jeffrey J. Berg1Björn R. Lindström2David M. Amodio3David M. Amodio4Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDo habits play a role in our social impressions? To investigate the contribution of habits to the formation of social attitudes, we examined the roles of model-free and model-based reinforcement learning in social interactions – computations linked in past work to habit and planning, respectively. Participants in this study learned about novel individuals in a sequential reinforcement learning paradigm, choosing financial advisors who led them to high- or low-paying stocks. Results indicated that participants relied on both model-based and model-free learning, such that each type of learning was expressed in both advisor choices and post-task self-reported liking of advisors. Specifically, participants preferred advisors who could provide large future rewards as well as advisors who had provided them with large rewards in the past. Although participants relied more heavily on model-based learning overall, they varied in their use of model-based and model-free learning strategies, and this individual difference influenced the way in which learning related to self-reported attitudes: among participants who relied more on model-free learning, model-free social learning related more to post-task attitudes. We discuss implications for attitudes, trait impressions, and social behavior, as well as the role of habits in a memory systems model of social cognition.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02592/fullsocialcognitionattitudelearninghabitmodel-free |
| spellingShingle | Leor M. Hackel Jeffrey J. Berg Björn R. Lindström David M. Amodio David M. Amodio Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice Frontiers in Psychology social cognition attitude learning habit model-free |
| title | Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice |
| title_full | Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice |
| title_fullStr | Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice |
| title_short | Model-Based and Model-Free Social Cognition: Investigating the Role of Habit in Social Attitude Formation and Choice |
| title_sort | model based and model free social cognition investigating the role of habit in social attitude formation and choice |
| topic | social cognition attitude learning habit model-free |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02592/full |
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