Individuals differ in their sensitivity to the adverse consequences of actions, leading some persist maladaptive behaviors. Two pathways have been identified for this insensitivity: a motivational pathway based on excessive reward valuation and behavioral autonomous stimulus-response mechanisms. Here, we identify third, cognitive differences punishment knowledge use that suppress behavior. We show distinct phenotypes emerge from what people learn about actions. Exposed identical...

Punishment maximises the probability of our individual survival by reducing behaviours that cause us harm, and also sustains trust fairness in groups essential for social cohesion. However, some individuals are more sensitive to punishment than others these differences sensitivity have been linked a variety decision-making deficits psychopathologies. The mechanisms why differ poorly understood, although recent studies conditioned rodents highlight key role contingency detection...

Proposed psychological mechanisms generating non-instrumental information seeking in humans can be broadly categorised into two competing accounts: the maximisation of anticipating rewards versus an aversion to uncertainty.We compare three separate formalisations these theories on their ability track dependency behaviour increasing levels cue-outcome delay as well sensitivity outcome valence.Across experiments using a variety different stimuli, we observe flat monotonically pattern and...

Factors affecting information-seeking behaviour can be task-endogenous (e.g., probability of winning a gamble), or task-exogenous personality trait measures). Various factors non-instrumental have been identified, but it is unclear how affect such behaviour, and if they interact with factors. In an online information seeking experiment (N = 279), we focus on the role that outcome probability, as factor, has preferences. We find reliable preference for advance highly probable gains low...

Abstract Standard theories suggest that humans should seek information only when it can help them make better decisions. However, recent work suggests people choose to even cannot influence the outcome of a choice. Across three experiments, we examined how this preference for non‐instrumental was related risk, regret, and rejoice associated with different choices. Experiment 1 risk informed appetite tested in gamble‐task desire knowledge across range hypothetical real‐world scenarios. In 2,...

The samples of evidence we use to make inferences in everyday and formal settings are often subject selection biases. Two property induction experiments examined group individual sensitivity one type bias: sampling frames - causal constraints that only allow certain types instances be sampled. Group data from both indicated people were sensitive the effects such frames, showing narrower generalization when sample selected because they shared a target (property sampling) than sampled belonged...

Proposed psychological mechanisms generating non-instrumental information seeking in humans can be broadly categorised into two competing accounts: the maximisation of anticipating rewards versus an aversion to uncertainty. We compare three separate formalisations these theories on their ability track dependency behaviour increasing levels cue-outcome delay as well sensitivity outcome valence. Across experiments using a variety different stimuli, we observe flat monotonically pattern and...

Investigations of information-seeking often highlight people's tendency to forgo financial reward in return for advance information about future outcomes. Most these experiments use tasks which contingencies are described participants. The such descriptions leaves open the question whether opportunity obtain noninstrumental influences ability learn and represent underlying structure an experimental environment. In two experiments, participants completed a two-armed bandit task with monetary...

Recent developments in modern probabilistic programming have offered users many practical tools of Bayesian data analysis. However, the adoption such techniques by general psychology community is still fairly limited. This tutorial aims to provide non-technicians with an accessible guide PyMC3, a robust language that allows for straightforward We focus on series increasingly complex Gaussian mixture models – building up from fitting basic univariate more multivariate fit real-world data....

The ability to generate new concepts and ideas is among the most fascinating aspects of human cognition, but we do not have a strong understanding cognitive processes representations underlying concept generation. In this paper, study generation categories using computational behavioral toolkit traditional artificial category learning. Previous work in domain has focused on how statistical structure known generalizes generated categories, overlooking whether (and if so, how) contrast between...

Individuals differ in sensitivity to the adverse consequences of their actions, leading some persist maladaptive behaviours. Two pathways have been identified for this insensitivity: a motivational pathway based on reward valuation and behavioural stimulus–response mechanisms. Here we identify third, cognitive differences punishment knowledge. Exposed identical contingencies, people (Sensitive) form correct causal beliefs that guide behaviour avoid punishment, whereas others incorrect lead...

People’s desire to seek or avoid information is not only influenced by the possible outcomes of an event, but probability those particular occurring. There are competing explanations however as how and why people’s for non-instrumental affected factors including expected value, outcome, a unique formulation outcome uncertainty. Over two experiments, we find that preference positively correlated with when positive (i.e., winning money) negatively negative losing money). Furthermore, at...

Abstract Punishment maximises the probability of our individual survival by reducing behaviours that cause us harm, and also sustains trust fairness in groups essential for social cohesion. However, some individuals are more sensitive to punishment than others these differences sensitivity have been linked a variety decision-making deficits psychopathologies. The mechanisms why differ poorly understood, although recent studies conditioned rodents highlight key role contingency detection...

Many investigations of information-seeking highlight a tendency to forgo financial reward in return for advance information that cannot be used change future outcomes. Most these experiments use tasks which contingencies are described participants. The such descriptions leaves open the question whether opportunity obtain non-instrumental influences people’s ability learn and represent underlying structure an experimental environment. In two experiments, participants completed two-armed...