Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37684495›Full record

ArticleBehavior research methods2024

Test-retest reliability of reinforcement learning parameters.

Jessica V Schaaf, Laura Weidinger, Lucas Molleman, Wouter van den Bos

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Behavior research methods, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed.

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  4. Reply to Cecchi and Palminteri: On the need to model temporal variation in learning rates.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
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  7. [Association of increased greater tubercle angle and critical shoulder angle with rotator cuff tears].Beijing da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Peking University. Health sciences · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jessica V SchaafDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. jessica.schaaf@radboudumc.nl.
Laura WeidingerDeepMind, London, United Kingdom.
Lucas MollemanDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Wouter van den BosDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Funding

Jacobs Foundation ERC-2018-StG-803338Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek NWO-VIDI-016.Vidi.185.068Open Research Area ID 176
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

It has recently been suggested that parameter estimates of computational models can be used to understand individual differences at the process level. One area of research in which this approach, called computational phenotyping, has taken hold is computational psychiatry. One requirement for successful computational phenotyping is that behavior and parameters are stable over time. Surprisingly, the test-retest reliability of behavior and model parameters remains unknown for most experimental tasks and models. The present study seeks to close this gap by investigating the test-retest reliability of canonical reinforcement learning models in the context of two often-used learning paradigms: a two-armed bandit and a reversal learning task. We tested independent cohorts for the two tasks (N = 69 and N = 47) via an online testing platform with a between-test interval of five weeks. Whereas reliability was high for personality and cognitive measures (with ICCs ranging from .67 to .93), it was generally poor for the parameter estimates of the reinforcement learning models (with ICCs ranging from .02 to .52 for the bandit task and from .01 to .71 for the reversal learning task). Given that simulations indicated that our procedures could detect high test-retest reliability, this suggests that a significant proportion of the variability must be ascribed to the participants themselves. In support of that hypothesis, we show that mood (stress and happiness) can partly explain within-participant variability. Taken together, these results are critical for current practices in computational phenotyping and suggest that individual variability should be taken into account in the future development of the field.

Indexed as

Reinforcement, PsychologyReversal LearningAdultFemaleHumansMaleModels, PsychologicalReproducibility of ResultsYoung AdultComputational modelingComputational phenotypingComputational psychiatryReinforcement learningTest–retest reliability

Identifiers

PMID37684495
PMCPMC11289054

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.