Learning as an explanation of behavioral adaptation in social settings: A pilot study of social cues as predictive signa

How do people understand social interaction and adapt behavior to the requirements of each unique interaction? This project tests the idea that the processes that support learning (predictive cues and rewards) also govern social behavior. It is proposed that people use social cues to make predictions about others' behavior, and that some social cues are rewarding and therefore bias people's behavior. To test these ideas, a set of social cue stimuli will be developed and used in computerized learning games. In one game, participants use social cues to guess which of 2 pictures a computerized person likes, earning money for correct choices. If social cues are predictive, participants should be able to use them to improve performance. A second game tests whether social cues are rewarding. Participants choose one of 2 faces positioned side-by-side on a computer screen. After each choice, the chosen face "responds" with either a pleasurable or a polite smile. If participants enjoy pleasurable smiles, they should develop response strategies that increase the frequency of these social rewards. Study results will advance understanding about how humans navigate the social world and allow the extension of these ideas to real social environments and to people with social difficulties.

人们如何理解社交互动，并针对每一次独特的互动调整自身行为？本项目旨在验证如下假说：支撑学习的过程（预测性线索与奖励，predictive cues and rewards）同样支配着社交行为。本研究提出，人们会借助社交线索（social cue）对他人的行为作出预测，且部分社交线索具备奖励属性，进而对人们的行为产生偏向性影响。

为验证上述假说，本项目将开发一套社交线索刺激材料，并将其应用于计算机化学习游戏中。在第一款游戏中，参与者需借助社交线索，猜测一名虚拟人物更喜欢两张图片中的哪一张，答对即可获得现金奖励。若社交线索具备预测性，则参与者应能通过运用这些线索提升任务表现。

第二款游戏则用于测试社交线索是否具备奖励属性。参与者需在电脑屏幕上并排呈现的两张面孔中选择其一，每次选择后，被选中的面孔会以愉悦型微笑或礼貌型微笑作出"回应"。若参与者偏好愉悦型微笑，则应会形成能提升这类社交奖励（social reward）出现频率的反应策略。

本研究结果将增进人类对自身如何自如应对社交世界的理解，并有望将这些理论推广应用至真实社交场景，以及存在社交障碍的人群中。