Increased Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activity in Adolescence Benefits Prosocial Reinforcement Learning

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 52, pp. 101018

Abstract

Learning which of our behaviors benefit others contributes to forming social relationships. An important period for the development of (pro)social behavior is adolescence, which is characterized by transitions in social connections. It is, however, unknown how learning to benefit others develops across adolescence and what the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms are. In this functional neuroimaging study, we assessed learning for self and others (i.e., prosocial learning) and the concurring neural tracking of prediction errors across adolescence (ages 9-21, N = 74). Participants performed a two-choice probabilistic reinforcement learning task in which outcomes resulted in monetary consequences for themselves, an unknown other, or no one. Participants from all ages were able to learn for themselves and others, but learning for others showed a more protracted developmental trajectory. Prediction errors for self were observed in the ventral striatum and showed no age-related differences. However, prediction error coding for others showed an age-related increase in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These results reveal insights into the computational mechanisms of learning for others across adolescence, and highlight that learning for self and others show different age-related patterns.

Authors 5

1. Bianca Westhoff corresponding Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands. Electronic address: b.westhoff@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands

2. Neeltje E. Blankenstein Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · Amsterdam University Medical Centers · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, de Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands

   Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, de Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands

3. Elisabeth Schreuders Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands; Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands

   Department of Clinical, Neuro and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands

4. Eveline A. Crone Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University

   Leiden University · Erasmus University Rotterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands; Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

   Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands

5. Anna C. K. van Duijvenvoorde corresponding Aachen Institute of Psychology, Leiden University Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands. Electronic address: a.c.k.van.duijvenvoorde@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

   Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands