Contingent Feedback Research Articles

The role of posterior parietal cortex in detecting changes in feedback contingency.

Well-practiced or learned behaviors are extremely resilient. For example, it is extremely difficult for a trained typist to forget how to use a keyboard configuration that they are familiar with. While they can be trained on a new keyboard configuration, the original skill quickly comes back when the old keyboard configuration is used again. This resiliency of learned skills is both a blessing and a curse. It makes useful skills durable, but it also makes maladaptive behaviors difficult to extinguish. Crossley et al. (2013) proposed a computational model and behavioral paradigm aimed at unlearning skills using various feedback contingency manipulations during an extinction phase. They showed that partially-valid feedback during extinction removed evidence for fast reacquisition, which they interpreted as evidence for unlearning. In this article, we replicated the Crossley et al. paradigm using fMRI. Univariate analyses showed differences in BOLD signals between the different experiment phases in the frontoparietal attention network. The superior and inferior parietal lobules (SPL and IPL, respectively) showed the largest cluster differences both between experimental phases and between extinction conditions. In contrast, the prefrontal cortex only showed differences in cluster of activities between extinction conditions. Multivariate pattern analysis was also used with seeds in the SPL and IPL. The results showed that these brain areas were critical in detecting changes in experimental phases. Overall, the fMRI results found mixed evidence for the Crossley et al. model and suggest that while unlearning prevents fast reacquisition, the absence of fast reacquisition does not necessarily implies that unlearning occurred.

When a Chatbot Disappoints You: Expectancy Violation in Human-Chatbot Interaction in a Social Support Context

Although users’ expectations of a chatbot’s performance could greatly shape their interaction experience, they have been underexplored in the context of social support where chatbots are gaining popularity. A 2 × 2 experiment created expectancy violation and confirmation conditions by matching or mismatching a chatbot’s expertise label (expert vs. non-expert) and its interactional contingency (contingent vs. generic feedback to users). Contingent feedback from chatbots was found to have positive effects on participants’ evaluation of the bot and their perceived emotional validation, regardless of the bot’s expertise label. When providing generic feedback to participants, a bot received worse evaluation and induced less emotional validation on participants when it was labeled as an expert, rather than a non-expert, highlighting the detrimental effect of negative expectancy violation than negative expectancy confirmation in interactions with a social support chatbot. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Parsing the contributions of negative affect vs. aversive motivation to cognitive control: an experimental investigation.

Punishment is a powerful drive that fosters aversive motivation and increases negative affect. Previous studies have reported that this drive has the propensity to improve cognitive control, as shown by improved conflict processing when it is used. However, whether aversive motivation per se or negative affect eventually drives this change remains unclear because in previous work, the specific contribution of these two components could not be isolated. To address this question, we conducted two experiments where we administered the confound minimized Stroop task to a large group of participants each time (N = 50 and N = 47 for Experiment 1 and 2, respectively) and manipulated punishment and feedback contingency using a factorial design. These two experiments were similar except that in the second one, we also measured awareness of feedback contingency at the subjective level. We reasoned that cognitive control would improve the most when punishment would be used, and the contingency between this motivational drive and performance would be reinforced, selectively. Both experiments consistently showed that negative affect increased at the subjective level when punishment was used and the feedback was contingent on task performance, with these two effects being additive. In Experiment 1, we found that when the feedback was contingent on task performance and punishment was activated, conflict processing did not improve. In Experiment 2, we found that conflict processing improved when punishment was contingent on task performance, and participants were aware of this contingency. These results suggest that aversive motivation can improve conflict processing when participants are aware of the link created between punishment and performance.

Neural and behavioral adaptations to frontal theta neurofeedback training: A proof of concept study.

Previous neurofeedback research has shown training-related frontal theta increases and performance improvements on some executive tasks in real feedback versus sham control groups. However, typical sham control groups receive false or non-contingent feedback, making it difficult to know whether observed differences between groups are associated with accurate contingent feedback or other cognitive mechanisms (motivation, control strategies, attentional engagement, fatigue, etc.). To address this question, we investigated differences between two frontal theta training groups, each receiving accurate contingent feedback, but with different top-down goals: (1) increase and (2) alternate increase/decrease. We hypothesized that the increase group would exhibit greater increases in frontal theta compared to the alternate group, which would exhibit lower frontal theta during down- versus up-modulation blocks over sessions. We also hypothesized that the alternate group would exhibit greater performance improvements on a Go-NoGo shooting task requiring alterations in behavioral activation and inhibition, as the alternate group would be trained with greater task specificity, suggesting that receiving accurate contingent feedback may be the more salient learning mechanism underlying frontal theta neurofeedback training gains. Thirty young healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to increase or alternate groups. Training consisted of an orientation session, five neurofeedback training sessions (six blocks of six 30-s trials of FCz theta modulation (4-7 Hz) separated by 10-s rest intervals), and six Go-NoGo testing sessions (four blocks of 90 trials in both Low and High time-stress conditions). Multilevel modeling revealed greater frontal theta increases in the alternate group over training sessions. Further, Go-NoGo task performance increased at a greater rate in the increase group (accuracy and reaction time, but not commission errors). Overall, these results reject our hypotheses and suggest that changes in frontal theta and performance outcomes were not explained by reinforcement learning afforded by accurate contingent feedback. We discuss our findings in terms of alternative conceptual and methodological considerations, as well as limitations of this research.

Learning limb-specific contingencies in early infancy.

Most research with the mobile paradigm has the underlying assumption that young infants can selectively move the limb causing the contingent feedback from the mobile while avoiding irrelevant motor responses. Contrary to this long-held belief, others have argued that such differentiation ability is not fully developed early in life. In the current study, we revisited the traditional mobile paradigm with a contemporary research approach (using high-precision motion capture techniques, a yoked-control design, and a large sample size) to investigate whether response differentiation ability emerges before 5months of age. The data collected from 76 infants (aged between 115 and 159days) revealed that infants can learn sensorimotor contingencies by increasing the movement of the connected leg relative to their baseline level. However, they did not differentially increase the movement of the leg causing an effect in the environment compared with that of other limbs. Our results illustrate that response differentiation ability emerges later than previously suggested.

Social Emotional Learning with Conversational Agents

Social emotional skills are foundational competencies upon which children draw throughout their lives. This work investigates current, commercially available experiences for social emotional learning (SEL) through conversational agents (CAs). Specifically, we reviewed 3,767 Skills available in the "Kids" category of the Alexa Skills Marketplace and found 42 working Skills with connections to SEL. We found that the most common scenarios these Skills sought to support were: active listening, emotional wellbeing, conversation with other people, and politeness. The interaction patterns used by these Skills distilled into a taxonomy of styles we labeled: The Delegator, The Lecturer, The Bulldozer, and The One-Track Mind. We found that, collectively, these Skills provide shallow experiences and lack contingent feedback. To examine the gap between current offerings and families' needs, we also conducted 26 interviews with parents to probe parents' ideas about CAs supporting children's SEL. Parents see potential for CAs to support children in four concrete ways, including attuning to others, cultivating curiosity, reinforcing politeness, and developing emotional awareness. Despite their optimism about these opportunities, parents expressed skepticism about CAs' impoverished conversational abilities and worry about CAs advancing values and behavioral norms that are at odds with their own.

The role of feedback in shaping responses to risky road scenarios: Evidence from electrodermal activity

When faced with hazardous driving situations, rapid and effective risk perception and decision-making processes are of crucial importance for avoiding crashes. In these cases, the processes are accompanied and influenced by underlying psychophysiological mechanisms such as electrodermal activity (EDA) modulations. The present work aims to assess the psychophysiological mechanisms underlying participants’ risk perception and decision-making when facing risky road scenarios, as correlated to the feedback role in modulating participants’ behavior. Study 1 (n = 32) explores the behavioral effects of administering a contingent feedback in a decision (decision-making) and an evaluation (risk perception) task in response to a set of risky and not risky images. The behavioral data reveal an effect on the participants’ probability of response, independently from the type of image presented, when the feedback was administered. In the decision task, the effect is accompanied by a change in the amplitude and percentage of the skin conductance responses (SCRs), which are moderated by block of trials. Study 2 (n = 44) better assesses the role of task and block on participants’ physiological activation, as measured by EDA signal. The results show an increase in psychophysiological activation when the feedback is delivered, in the first part of the tasks, both in terms of SCRs amplitude and percentage to the presented road scenarios, followed by a decrease in the second part of the tasks. Moreover, this effect is more evident in the decision task than the evaluation task. These findings suggest that the role exerted by feedback when facing risky traffic images may be described as based on an associative process that, once the correct response has been learned, tends to be reduced as it becomes automatic. Overall, the results of the two studies represent an important step toward the development of training programs aimed at promoting safer behaviors in risky driving contexts.

Improvements in Middle-Schoolers’ Performance and Motivation to Practice: An Experimental Investigation of Accurate Feedback in a Motor Task

The present field experiment investigated the effects of accurate and non-accurate performance feedback on causal attributions, success expectancy, performance, and persistence on a motor task. Forty-six male middle-schoolers were randomly assigned to a Contingent (accurate) feedback, Non-contingent (non-accurate) feedback, or Control (no feedback) group and completed a challenging motor task. An initial treatment phase provided either accurate contingent feedback or yoked non-contingent feedback during the task, and measured task performance, attributions about performance, and success expectancy about future performance. A subsequent testing phase (same task) used the same measures and added a measure of motivation (persistence). Compared to the Contingent and Control groups, Noncontingent outcome feedback during the initial treatment phase led to more personally uncontrollable attributions, lower success expectancy, poorer performance, and lower persistence in the subsequent test phase. Despite a high rate of failure in the motor task for both feedback groups in the treatment phase, the Contingent group—getting accurate feedback about performance—had a higher sense of personal control and expectancy of success than the Non-contingent feedback group initially, and maintained these perceptions in the subsequent test phase where they also had better performance and higher levels of persistence than the Non-contingent group. Non-contingent feedback in an initial motor task appears to induce helplessness deficits in subsequent task performance and persistence. In contrast, providing accurate (contingent) feedback about achieved performance appears to protect against performance and motivational losses.

"Did I just do that?"-Six-month-olds learn the contingency between their vocalizations and a visual reward in 5 minutes.

It has been shown that infants can increase or modify a motorically available behavior such as sucking, kicking, arm waving, etc., in response to a positive visual reinforcement (e.g., DeCasper & Fifer, 1980; Millar, 1990; Rochat & Striano, 1999; Rovee‐Collier, 1997; Watson & Ramey, 1972). We tested infants to determine if they would also change their vocal behavior in response to contingent feedback, which lacks the social, emotional, and auditory modeling typical of parent‐child interaction. Here, we show that in a single five‐minute session infants increase the rate of their vocalizations in order to control the appearance of colorful shapes on an iPad screen. This is the first experimental study to demonstrate that infants can rapidly learn to increase their vocalizations, when given positive reinforcement with no social element. This work sets the foundations for future studies into the causal relationship between the number of early vocalizations and the onset of words. In addition, there are potential clinical applications for reinforcing vocal practice in infant populations who are at risk for poor language skills.

Highway Deceleration Lane Safety: Effects of Real-Time Coaching Programs on Driving Behavior

Real-time coaching programs are designed to give feedback on driving behavior to usage-based motor insurance users; they are often general purpose programs that aim to promote smooth driving. Here, we investigated the effect of different on-board real-time coaching programs on the driving behavior on highway deceleration lanes with a driving simulator experiment. The experiment was organized into two trials. The first was a baseline trial, in which participants drove without receiving any feedback; a cluster analysis was then performed to divide participants into two groups, based on their observed driving style. One month later, a second trial was carried out, with participants driving on the same path as the first trial, this time receiving contingent feedback related to their braking/acceleration behavior. Four feedback systems were tested; overall, there were eight experimental groups, depending on the clustered driving style (aggressive and defensive), feedback modality (visual and auditory), and feedback valence (positive and negative). Speed, deceleration, trajectory, and lateral control variables, collected before and onto the deceleration lane, were investigated with mixed ANOVAs, which showed that the real-time coaching programs significantly reduced speeds and maximum deceleration values, while improving lateral control. A change toward a safer exit strategy (i.e., entering the lane before starting to decelerate) was also observed in defensive drivers.

Punctuated equilibrium in multilevel contexts: How federal and state level forces feedback into shaping the local policy agenda in Mexico

AbstractThe article uses the punctuated equilibrium theory to explain changes in the local policy agenda of municipal governments. It focuses on feedback (negative and positive) as a key concept that associates intergovernmental institutions in a federalist system of governance and the budgetary punctuations and change in the municipal policy agenda. I analyze a 17‐year period of decentralization process along a generalized structural equation multinomial model. Findings show that decentralized resources, from state and federal governments, affect the municipal's local policy agenda. Such effects are conditional to an overall institutional setting, thus, providing additional insights into the contingency of institutional friction shaping feedback and policy change.

Developmental Differences in Probabilistic Reversal Learning: A Computational Modeling Approach.

Cognitive flexibility helps us to navigate through our ever-changing environment and has often been examined by reversal learning paradigms. Performance in reversal learning can be modeled using computational modeling which allows for the specification of biologically plausible models to infer psychological mechanisms. Although such models are increasingly used in cognitive neuroscience, developmental approaches are still scarce. Additionally, though most reversal learning paradigms have a comparable design regarding timing and feedback contingencies, the type of feedback differs substantially between studies. The present study used hierarchical Gaussian filter modeling to investigate cognitive flexibility in reversal learning in children and adolescents and the effect of various feedback types. The results demonstrate that children make more overall errors and regressive errors (when a previously learned response rule is chosen instead of the new correct response after the initial shift to the new correct target), but less perseverative errors (when a previously learned response set continues to be used despite a reversal) adolescents. Analyses of the extracted model parameters of the winning model revealed that children seem to use new and conflicting information less readily than adolescents to update their stimulus-reward associations. Furthermore, more subclinical rigidity in everyday life (parent-ratings) is related to less explorative choice behavior during the probabilistic reversal learning task. Taken together, this study provides first-time data on the development of the underlying processes of cognitive flexibility using computational modeling.

Reducing Elevated Gravitational-Force Events through visual feedback: a simulator study

Road traffic accidents represent one of the leading causes of death across all age groups globally. Most of these accidents can be directly attributed to drivers’ failure to select the correct driving speed. Thus, actions aimed to mitigate inappropriate driving performance, including speeding, are needed. Here, we used a dynamic driving simulator to investigate the effects of different real-time coaching programs on driving performance, specifically on the occurrence of Elevated Gravitational-Force Events (EGFEs). Forty-three drivers underwent a two-day evaluation. On the first day, participants –after an initial screening and depending on their driving style– were divided into two groups: defensive vs. aggressive drivers. On the second day, they received a different type of real time visual feedback based on their driving performance. For each of the two driving style groups, half of the drivers received contingent positive feedback (when smooth driving events occurred), the other half received contingent negative feedback (when harsh driving events occurred). Thus, there were four groups based on driving style and feedback. Overall, results showed that among aggressive drivers contingent feedback –independently from its type– reduces the occurrence of EGFEs. Potential applications of the proposed methodology include its use for Pay-how-you-drive programs aimed to improve driver speed control.

Same benefits, different communication patterns: Comparing Children's reading with a conversational agent vs. a human partner

Storybook reading accompanied by adult-guided conversation provides a stimulating context for children's language development. Conversational agents powered by artificial intelligence, such as smart speakers, are prevalent in children's homes and have the potential to engage children in storybook reading as language partners. However, little research has explored the effectiveness of using conversational agents to support children's language development. This study examined how an automated conversational agent can read stories to children via a smart speaker while asking questions and providing contingent feedback. Using a randomized experiment among 90 children aged three to six years, this study compared these children's story comprehension and verbal engagement in storybook reading with a conversational agent versus an adult. The conversational agent's guided conversation was found to be as supportive in improving children's story comprehension as that provided by an adult language partner. At the same time, this study uncovered a number of differences in children's verbal engagement when interacting with a conversational agent versus with an adult. Specifically, children who read with the conversational agent responded to questions with better intelligibility, whereas those who read with an adult responded to questions with higher productivity, lexical diversity, and topical relevance. And the two groups responded to questions with a similar level of accuracy. In addition, questions requiring high cognitive demand amplified the differences in of verbal engagement between the conversational agent and adult partner. The study offers important implications for developing and researching conversational agent systems to support children's language development.

State-Dependent Gain Modulation of Spinal Motor Output.

Afferent somatosensory information plays a crucial role in modulating efferent motor output. A better understanding of this sensorimotor interplay may inform the design of neurorehabilitation interfaces. Current neurotechnological approaches that address motor restoration after trauma or stroke combine motor imagery (MI) and contingent somatosensory feedback, e.g., via peripheral stimulation, to induce corticospinal reorganization. These interventions may, however, change the motor output already at the spinal level dependent on alterations of the afferent input. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) was combined with measurements of wrist deflection using a kinematic glove during either MI or rest. We investigated 360 NMES bursts to the right forearm of 12 healthy subjects at two frequencies (30 and 100 Hz) in random order. For each frequency, stimulation was assessed at nine intensities. Measuring the induced wrist deflection across different intensities allowed us to estimate the input-output curve (IOC) of the spinal motor output. MI decreased the slope of the IOC independent of the stimulation frequency. NMES with 100 Hz vs. 30 Hz decreased the threshold of the IOC. Human-machine interfaces for neurorehabilitation that combine MI and NMES need to consider bidirectional communication and may utilize the gain modulation of spinal circuitries by applying low-intensity, high-frequency stimulation.

An analysis of teachers’ classroom interaction by using self-evaluation of teacher talk

This study focuses on classroom interaction in English teaching and learning at SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Bengkulu. The objective of this study is to 1. Describe student-teacher interaction pattern, 2. Find out the type of interactional features in the classroom. The data were first-grade students. This study shows how teacher and student talk and give a response to each other. This study is conducted in form of discourse analysis. The writer used observation to get the data. The data were in a form video recording of classroom interactional both teachers and students. The writer made transcription from recorded data and analyzed it through IRF exchange structure and applied Walsh’s framework in interactional features. The result of the research showed teacher A and B interaction pattern is Initiation (I)- Response (R)- Feedback (F). Teacher A’s pattern was I (initiation), R (response) and F (feedback). In her classrooms, teacher A provides lots of initiation to her students. Teacher B’s pattern was IRF in this class with the highest amount of initiation in form question. Teacher A used 12 (twelve) interactional feature based on Walsh framework (2006). There were extended learner turn (ELT) 171 frequencies, extended teacher turn (ETT) 90 frequencies, Display Question (DQ) 66 frequencies, confirmation check (CC) 36 frequencies, seeking clarification (SC) 35 frequencies, Teacher echo (TE) 27 frequencies, referential question (RQ) 20 frequencies, Scaffolding (SCF) 16 frequencies, extended wait time (EWT) 13 frequencies, turn completion (TC) 12 frequencies, direct repair (DR) 5 frequencies, content feedback (CF) 1 frequency. Teacher B used 12 (twelve) interactional feature based on Walsh framework (2006). There were extended learner turn (ELT) 155 frequencies, Display Question (DQ) 53 frequencies, extended teacher turn (ETT) 42 frequencies, referential question (RQ) 23 frequencies, confirmation check (CC) 17 frequencies, seeking clarification (SC) 13 frequencies, Form focus feedback (FFF) 12, Teacher echo (TE) 8 frequencies, Scaffolding (SCF) 8 frequencies, extended wait time (EWT) 7 frequencies, turn completion (TC) 4 frequencies, direct repair (DR) 3 frequencies. Both of teacher A and B provide a lot of extended learner turn by giving a direct question and referential question. Students’ response frequently in English, in Indonesian and in another hand in their mother tongue.Â

Training class inclusion responding in individuals with autism: Further investigation.

Class inclusion (CI) requires responding to an item simultaneously as a member of both a class and a more inclusive class that contains that class. This study extends previous research by Ming et al. (2018) who trained CI responding in typically developing children and individuals with autism using a Relational Frame Theory (RFT) approach according to which CI involves responding in accordance with relations of containment and comparison. In Ming et al., participants experienced multiple exemplar training in which class containment relations were represented by placing pictures (of subclasses of animals) within nested transparent boxes. In the current study, 3 adult males with autism and moderate learning disability were not able to learn CI responding using contingent feedback alone. However, an intervention involving nonarbitrary guidance facilitated the repertoire. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Live from the "regulating brain": Harnessing the brain to change emotion.

Live feedback from the brain can empower individuals to change their own brain activity. The premise behind neurofeedback (NF) is that an organism learns to control brain activation and function via contingent feedback. We outline here why this approach can aid emotion regulation research and treatment, and how this is achieved with feedback from the neural circuitry of emotion. The focus is, in particular, on functional MRI (fMRI) and fMRI-inspired mapping techniques that permit the probing of deep brain activation with scalp electroencephalography. The NF approach for self-neuromodulation is discussed with respect to the process-model of emotion regulation. We argue that real-time feedback from brain areas or from circuits can augment neuroscience-based emotion regulation practices and thus provides a promising tool for more precise clinical intervention and the alleviation of emotion dysregulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Self-Regulation of the Fusiform Face Area in Autism Spectrum: A Feasibility Study With Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback.

One of the most important and early impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the abnormal visual processing of human faces. This deficit has been associated with hypoactivation of the fusiform face area (FFA), one of the main hubs of the face-processing network. Neurofeedback based on real-time fMRI (rtfMRI-NF) is a technique that allows the self-regulation of circumscribed brain regions, leading to specific neural modulation and behavioral changes. The aim of the present study was to train participants with ASD to achieve up-regulation of the FFA using rtfMRI-NF, to investigate the neural effects of FFA up-regulation in ASD. For this purpose, three groups of volunteers with normal I.Q. and fluent language were recruited to participate in a rtfMRI-NF protocol of eight training runs in 2 days. Five subjects with ASD participated as part of the experimental group and received contingent feedback to up-regulate bilateral FFA. Two control groups, each one with three participants with typical development (TD), underwent the same protocol: one group with contingent feedback and the other with sham feedback. Whole-brain and functional connectivity analysis using each fusiform gyrus as independent seeds were carried out. The results show that individuals with TD and ASD can achieve FFA up-regulation with contingent feedback. RtfMRI-NF in ASD produced more numerous and stronger short-range connections among brain areas of the ventral visual stream and an absence of the long-range connections to insula and inferior frontal gyrus, as observed in TD subjects. Recruitment of inferior frontal gyrus was observed in both groups during FAA up-regulation. However, insula and caudate nucleus were only recruited in subjects with TD. These results could be explained from a neurodevelopment perspective as a lack of the normal specialization of visual processing areas, and a compensatory mechanism to process visual information of faces. RtfMRI-NF emerges as a potential tool to study visual processing network in ASD, and to explore its clinical potential.

Wearable Technology to Support Early Child Language Experiences: What's Important to Parents and Clinicians?

Emerging research evidence has demonstrated the potential for digital tools, such as automated language processing technology, to support parent-child interactions. Making use of digital tools can aid measurement of parent interaction metrics, additionally, providing contingent feedback to parents based on their language metrics can facilitate positive changes in their everyday input to their young children. Product innovation aside, there is a distinct lack of understanding about how best to integrate real-world, user design needs and preferences to improve deployment of technologies into routine clinical interventions. The present study explored salient requirements of a wearable language tracking device from the users' perspectives. Mothers of young children and clinicians with experience working in paediatric settings completed a written questionnaire and rated the importance of specific functions and features of a child-worn, language tracking device on a 10-point Likert scale. There was strong rating consensus across the participants that comfort, reliability and the provision of clear and useful results were of greater importance. The need for the wearable language tracking device to 'blend in' with different types of clothing was rated as less important. The extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model was employed as a framework for addressing these importance ratings in this population of interest. This study highlighted the need to consider user-focused service design. Addressing user's preferences could facilitate greater technology adoption which ultimately enriches the language experiences for young children.