UC Berkeley

How automatic is reinforcement learning (RL)? Here, using a recent computational framework that separates contributions from working memory versus RL during instrumental learning, we asked if taxing higher executive functions influences a putatively lower-level, procedural RL system. Across three experiments, we found that dual-tasking could indeed disrupt RL, even when isolating RL from working memory's contributions to behavior. These results speak to methodological considerations in the use of dual tasks during learning, suggesting that cognitive load can interfere with multiple learning and memory systems simultaneously. Moreover, our results point to a less constrained conception of RL as a putatively low-level procedural system, supporting a view that tight links exist between executive function and subcortical learning processes.