title: Probability Learning: Changes in Behavior Across Time and Development.
abstract: Individuals track probabilities, such as associations between events in their environments, but less is known about the degree to which experience-within a learning session and over development-influences people's use of incoming probabilistic information to guide behavior in real time. In two experiments, children (4-11 years) and adults searched for rewards hidden in locations with predetermined probabilities. In Experiment 1, children (n = 42) and adults (n = 32) changed strategies to maximize reward receipt over time. However, adults demonstrated greater strategy change efficiency. Making the predetermined probabilities more difficult to learn (Experiment 2) delayed effective strategy change for children (n = 39) and adults (n = 33). Taken together, these data characterize how children and adults alike react flexibly and change behavior according to incoming information.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Rista C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Plate
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fulvio
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shutts
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: C Shawn
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Seth D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Pollak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011337:Probability Learning; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult