Asymmetric effects of acute stress on cost and benefit learning

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022-04, Vol.138, p.105646-105646, Article 105646
• Main Authors: Voulgaropoulou, Stella D., Fauzani, Fasya, Pfirrmann, Janine, Vingerhoets, Claudia, van Amelsvoort, Thérèse, Hernaus, Dennis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute stress; Adult; Computational modelling; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Costs and benefits; Decision Making - physiology; Effort; Female; Humans; Learning - physiology; Male; Reinforcement learning; Reinforcement, Psychology; Reward; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105646

Humans are continuously exposed to stressful challenges in everyday life. Such stressful events trigger a complex physiological reaction – the fight-or-flight response – that can hamper flexible decision-making and learning. Inspired by key neural and peripheral characteristics of the fight-or-flight response, here, we ask whether acute stress changes how humans learn about costs and benefits. Healthy adults were randomly exposed to an acute stress (age mean=23.48, 21/40 female) or no-stress control (age mean=23.80, 22/40 female) condition, after which they completed a reinforcement learning task in which they minimize cost (physical effort) and maximize benefits (monetary rewards). During the task pupillometry data were collected. A computational model of cost-benefit reinforcement learning was employed to investigate the effect of acute stress on cost and benefit learning and decision-making. Acute stress improved learning to maximize rewards relative to minimizing physical effort (Condition-by-Trial Type interaction: F(1,78)= 6.53, p = 0.01, n2G= 0.04; reward > effort in stress condition: t(39) = 5.40, p  αR in control condition: t(39) = −4.75, p