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Value-free random exploration is linked to impulsivity

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  • Magda Dubois

    (Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research
    University College London)

  • Tobias U. Hauser

    (Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research
    University College London)

Abstract

Deciding whether to forgo a good choice in favour of exploring a potentially more rewarding alternative is one of the most challenging arbitrations both in human reasoning and in artificial intelligence. Humans show substantial variability in their exploration, and theoretical (but only limited empirical) work has suggested that excessive exploration is a critical mechanism underlying the psychiatric dimension of impulsivity. In this registered report, we put these theories to test using large online samples, dimensional analyses, and computational modelling. Capitalising on recent advances in disentangling distinct human exploration strategies, we not only demonstrate that impulsivity is associated with a specific form of exploration—value-free random exploration—but also explore links between exploration and other psychiatric dimensions.

Suggested Citation

  • Magda Dubois & Tobias U. Hauser, 2022. "Value-free random exploration is linked to impulsivity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31918-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31918-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna P. Giron & Simon Ciranka & Eric Schulz & Wouter Bos & Azzurra Ruggeri & Björn Meder & Charley M. Wu, 2023. "Developmental changes in exploration resemble stochastic optimization," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(11), pages 1955-1967, November.

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