Christopher J. Cagna

Background: Learning and memory deficits are common in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Effectively processing performance-related feedback is integral to learning but is often impaired in PD. Delaying feedback presentation by 6 seconds has been shown to circumvent these deficits during incremental learning tasks. The potential learning benefits of longer feedback delays, however, are unknown. The current study examined the effects of a 6-second delay and a 25-minute delay on learning during a declarative memory task in individuals with PD. Methods: Thirty participants with PD completed a verbal paired-associates task, during which they learned word pairs via trial-by-trial accuracy feedback presented immediately after making responses (No Delay; ND), after a 6-second delay (Short Delay; SD), and after a 25-minute delay (Long Delay; LD). Mixed effects models examined the influence of feedback timing condition on both final test performance and on improvement in performance between the learning and test phases. Exploratory hierarchical mixed models with neuropsychological tests examined potential individual difference predictors of delayed feedback learning.Results: Both SD feedback and LD feedback predicted significantly greater improvement in performance, compared to ND feedback. Better working memory performance on the Digit Span Backwards Test predicted significantly greater improvement from LD feedback.Conclusion: Longer feedback delays improve learning during a paired associates word learning task in individuals with PD. Shorter delays previously demonstrated to benefit incremental learning may also benefit other forms of learning. Working memory capacity may be an important predictor of these learning benefits.

Learning from outcomes of our actions to inform behavior is fundamental to human cognition. Performance feedback – which either reinforces current behavior or signals a need to change behavior – is central to this learning. Learners do not always passively receive feedback; oftentimes, they must decide that it is worth receiving and seek it. The subjective, or perceived, value of feedback motivates such decisions to seek out feedback. Thus, methods for increasing the perceived value of feedback have critical implications for learning. The current study tested the effectiveness of a novel feedback value training (FVT) that manipulated learning context to boost the perceived value of feedback. Eighty participants completed either the FVT (n = 40) or a control paradigm (n = 40). Afterwards, all participants completed a willingness-to-pay associative memory task that quantified feedback value via decisions to purchase or forgo feedback during learning. The FVT did not significantly increase overall feedback purchases, but within-group analyses revealed it appeared to produce an increase in value for feedback that was informative for learning, compared to less informative feedback. Additionally, higher levels of need for cognition moderated responsiveness to the FVT, suggesting that trait characteristics may interact with contextual effects to modulate feedback value. For both groups, feedback purchases that yielded negative feedback significantly predicted better performance during the test phase. These initial results indicate that manipulating context may also modulate feedback value. They also provide critical preliminary data for improving the feasibility of a tool – the FVT – that could address this need.