Anxiety- and Compulsivity-Linked Differences in Reinforcement Learning in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Game

Tessa Medeiros ’26, Biology & Psychology major Faculty mentor: Dr. Andra Geana, Psychology and Neuroscience Reinforcement learning (RL) mathematically describes how agents learn to maximize the reward of their environment by understanding and comparing their choice options. This project investigates how anxiety and compulsivity impact the selection of these options and to what extent a text-based, narrative (rather than a game-like environment) changes RL processes in humans.