The preference for surprise in reinforcement learning underlies the differences in developmental changes in risk preference between autistic and neurotypical youth

Abstract

Risk preference changes nonlinearly across development. Although extensive developmental research on the neurotypical population has shown that risk preference is highest during adolescence, developmental changes in risk preference in autistic people, who tend to prefer predictable behaviors, have not been investigated. Here, we aimed to investigate these changes and underlying computational mechanisms. Using a game-like risk-sensitive reinforcement learning task, we found a significant difference in nonlinear developmental changes in risk preference between the autistic and neurotypical groups (N = 75; age range, 6-30 years). The computational modeling approach with reinforcement learning models revealed that individual preferences for surprise modulated such preferences. These findings indicate that for neurotypical people, adolescence is a developmental period involving risk preference, possibly due to lower surprise aversion. Conversely, for autistic people, who show opposite developmental trajectories of risk preference, adolescence could be a developmental period involving risk avoidance because of low surprise preference.