title: Stochastic reinforcement benefits skill acquisition.
abstract: Learning complex skills is driven by reinforcement, which facilitates both online within-session gains and retention of the acquired skills. Yet, in ecologically relevant situations, skills are often acquired when mapping between actions and rewarding outcomes is unknown to the learning agent, resulting in reinforcement schedules of a stochastic nature. Here we trained subjects on a visuomotor learning task, comparing reinforcement schedules with higher, lower, or no stochasticity. Training under higher levels of stochastic reinforcement benefited skill acquisition, enhancing both online gains and long-term retention. These findings indicate that the enhancing effects of reinforcement on skill acquisition depend on reinforcement schedules.
authors.affiliation: Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.forename: Bruno B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Averbeck
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.forename: Leonardo G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult