Individual differences in learning from probabilistic reward and punishment predicts smoking status

• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.08.019
• Publication Date: 2018-08-19T01:23:32Z
• Authors: Laura A. Rai; Laura O'Halloran; Lee Jollans; Nigel Vahey; Conall O'Brolchain; Robert Whelan
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Smokers; Adolescent; Formative Feedback; Non-Smokers; Cigarette Smoking; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Punishment; Reward; Case-Control Studies; Task Performance and Analysis; Humans; Learning; Female; Ex-Smokers; Probability

The ability to update reward and punishment contingencies is a fundamental aspect of effective decision-making, requiring the ability to successfully adapt to the changing demands of one's environment. In the case of nicotine addiction, research has predominantly focused on reward- and punishment-based learning processes among current smokers relative to non-smokers, whereas less is known about these processes in former smokers.In a total sample of 105 students, we used the Probabilistic Selection Task to examine differences in reinforcement learning among 41 current smokers, 29 ex-smokers, and 35 non-smokers. The PST was comprised of a training and test phase that allowed for the comparison of learning from positive versus negative feedback.The test phase of the Probabilistic Selection Task significantly predicted smoking status. Current and non-smokers were classified with moderate accuracy, whereas ex-smokers were typically misclassified as smokers. Lower rates of learning from rewards were associated with an increased likelihood of being a smoker or an ex-smoker compared with being a non-smoker. Higher rates of learning from punishment were associated with an increased likelihood of being a smoker relative to non-smoker. However, learning from punishment did not predict ex-smoker status.Current smokers and ex-smokers were less likely to learn from rewards, supporting the hypothesis that deficient reward processing is a feature of chronic addiction. In addition, current smokers were more sensitive to punishment than ex-smokers, contradicting some recent findings.