Adapting to uncertainty: The role of anxiety and fear of negative evaluation in learning in social and non-social contexts

Abstract

Background: Navigating social situations can be challenging due to uncertainty surrounding the intentions and strategies of others, which remain hidden and subject to change. Prior research suggests that individuals with anxiety-related symptoms struggle to adapt their learning in uncertain, non-social environments. Anxiety-prone individuals encounter challenges in social functioning, yet research on learning under uncertainty in social contexts is limited. In this preregistered study, we investigated whether individuals with higher levels of trait anxiety and fear of negative evaluation encounter difficulties in adjusting their learning rates in social contexts with stable or volatile outcome contingencies.

Methods: We implemented a modified trust game (N = 190), where participants either retained or lost their investments based on their interactions with two players in volatile or stable environments. Participants also completed a matching non-social control task involving interactions with slot machines.

Results: Results from computational modeling revealed significantly higher learning rates in social compared to non-social settings. Trait anxiety did not affect the adaptability of learning rates. Individuals with heightened fear of negative evaluation were more sensitive to social compared to non-social outcomes, as reflected in their stay/switch behavior and, though less conclusive, in their learning rates.

Limitations: While transdiagnostic and dimensional approaches are important for investigating disturbed social functioning, the inclusion of clinical samples in future studies may contribute to a broader generalization of these findings regarding behavioral variances in uncertain social environments.

Conclusions: Individuals with increased fear of negative evaluation may demonstrate heightened sensitivity to learning in uncertain social contexts. This leads to heightened responsiveness to recent outcomes in their interactions with others, potentially contributing to their problems in social functioning.

Keywords: Fear of negative evaluation; Reinforcement learning; Trait anxiety; Uncertainty; Volatility.