Poster #15 - Distress Tolerance and Negative Affectivity are Associated with Greater Sensitivity to Social, Negative Reinforcement in Late Adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 15

Abstract

Negative reinforcement – the process by which a behavior is strengthened by pairing it with the offset of an aversive state – is theorized to potentiate internalizing disorder problems in adolescence, such as pathological avoidance and withdrawal, and high-risk behaviors that reduce socioemotional pain (e.g., nonsuicidal self-injury or substance use). However, there are limited experimental data to test these theories. In this study we used a novel experimental task to examine negative social reinforcement learning in relation to internalizing symptoms as well as two transdiagnostic risk factors: negative affectivity and distress tolerance.

Thirty-three participants (ages 18-20) completed self-report measures of negative affectivity (Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory) and distress tolerance (Distress Tolerance Scale). A subsample (n=25) completed measures of anxiety (OASIS) and depression (PHQ9); many reported clinically elevated anxiety (84%) and depression (32%). Then , participants completed a probabilistic social negative reinforcement learning task, in which they viewed 80 pre-recorded videoclips of themselves with critical statements superimposed (e.g., “he sounds stupid”). During the first 40 trials, participants were instructed to press either the left or right arrow and told that, depending on their choice, the video clip would terminate. Feedback was probabilistic, such that one arrow (e.g., ‘left’) was associated with 80% chance of termination, whereas the other arrow (e.g., ‘right’) was associated with 20% chance of termination . On trials 41-50, each choice was associated with 50% chance of termination. During the final 40 trials, probabilistic feedback was reversed (e.g., ‘left’ switched from 80% to 20% chance of termination). We fit behavioral data to a Rescorla-Wagner reinforcement learning model using hierarchical Bayesian modeling (Ahn et al., 2017), and estimated each participant’s learning rate – the degree to which information learned on one trial influences decision-making on subsequent trials. We hypothesized learning rate would be positively associated with anxiety, depression, and negative affectivity, and negatively associated with distress tolerance. Data collection is currently ongoing, but we present preliminary findings here. We expect to complete data collection (N=80) in January 2023 for presentation at SRCD 2023.

Learning rate was associated with lower distress tolerance (r=-.387, p=.026) and greater negative affectivity (r=.355, p=.043). Learning rate was not associated with anxiety (r=.302, p=.142) or depression (r=.387, p=.056). Preliminary findings suggest sensitivity to social negative reinforcement is associated with low distress tolerance and greater negative affectivity in late-adolescence. The lack of an association with anxiety and depression may be due to heterogeneity of these disorders, thus highlighting the importance of theories and measurement that focus on symptom dimensions and/or specific risk factors. However, given the small sample and similar effect sizes across all 4 measures, it will be important to examine these data in our full sample. It is also noteworthy that our sample has a high rate of anxiety symptoms, such that we will engage targeted recruitment for the remainder of the sample to ensure representation and generalizability. Future work may consider longitudinal designs to test whether these associations reflect sensitivity to social negative reinforcement as a risk factor for psychopathology in adolescence.

Authors

• Logan R Cummings, Florida International University
  Presenting Author

• Nathan Sollenberger, Florida International University

• Aaron Mattfeld, Florida International University

• Josefina Freitag, Florida International University

• Sthefany Gomez, Florida International University

• Melanie Giraldo, Florida International University

• Dana McMakin, Florida International University