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Poster Session B: Wednesday, August 13, 1:00 – 4:00 pm, de Brug & E‑Hall

Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Pavlovian Observational Learning on Decision Making

Pyungwon Kang¹, Armita Golkar, Andreas Olsson², Philippe N. Tobler, Bjorn Lindstrom; ¹University of Zurich, ²Karolinska Institute Stockholm

Presenter: Pyungwon Kang

Increasingly, modern humans encounter threats indirectly, through social networks and media, affecting their behavior significantly which can increase anxiety and affect subsequent decision making. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. This study investigates how observational threat learning shapes instrumental decision-making (threat avoidance learning) and its neural basis. During neuroimaging 44 participants observed others experiencing threats, which enhanced subsequent instrumental learning, especially when observational Pavlovian cues aligned with instrumental outcomes—an effect absent without observational learning. Computational modeling indicated arbitration between observational Pavlovian and instrumental values. Neuroimaging revealed that periaqueductal gray (PAG) activity correlated with observational aversive prediction errors, which in turn affected subsequent decision-making. These findings suggest that the PAG plays a critical role when socially acquired threat information shapes instrumental threat avoidance.

Topic Area: Reward, Value & Social Decision Making

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