All groups, including individuals with Down, Fragile X, and Williams syndromes, adapted their choices based on deterministic feedback, staying with rewarded options and switching after losses¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r? · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Within every syndrome group and the TD group, participants were more likely to change their response after losses than after wins, with large odds ratios. → Hallman 2026 q3 i? Across all groups behavioral feedback learning took place to a high degree, supporting the win-stay/lose-shift principle in genetic ID populations. → Hallman 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Hallman 2026¶

Hallman, A. E. Z., Willfors, C., Frick, M. A., Nordgren, A. & Kleberg, J. L. (2026). Comparing feedback learning and arousal responses in Down, Fragile X, and Williams syndromes. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-026-00438-2

q3 · i3 · causal · r?

Follow-up pairwise comparisons in a preregistered Bayesian GLMM of response change in the reward contingency reversal task, in the Results section. The article reports that "all groups were more likely to change their response after losses than wins", with TD: OR = 20.97, DS: OR = 4.78, FXS: OR = 14.23, and WS: OR = 49.56.

"Within-group comparisons showed that all groups were more likely to change their response after losses than wins (TD: OR = 20.97, 95% HPD [14.73, 28.92]; DS: OR = 4.78, 95% HPD [2.11, 8.71]; FXS: OR = 14.23, 95% HPD [6.55, 25.89]; WS: OR = 49.56, 95% HPD [25.61, 84.16])."

Hallman 2026 (2)¶

Hallman, A. E. Z., Willfors, C., Frick, M. A., Nordgren, A. & Kleberg, J. L. (2026). Comparing feedback learning and arousal responses in Down, Fragile X, and Williams syndromes. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-026-00438-2

q3 · i? · causal · r?

In the Discussion, the authors summarize the behavioral outcome of the reward contingency reversal task: "feedback learning took place to a high degree" and "Participants tended to stay with the positive feedback options and switch after receiving negative feedback."

"Across all groups, behavioral results indicated that feedback learning took place to a high degree. Participants tended to stay with the positive feedback options and switch after receiving negative feedback."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Executive Function — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• After positive feedback, individuals with Down syndrome were more likely to switch responses and individuals with Williams syndrome less likely than typically developing controls, while evidence for Fragile X syndrome was inconclusive — related
• On loss trials, smaller pupil dilation predicted response change in TD participants while larger dilation predicted it in FXS participants, with no robust effect in DS or WS — related
• All groups looked longer at the previously rewarded option than at the loss-associated option, with no group differences in gaze allocation — related
• Individuals with Williams syndrome show intact behavioral feedback learning but no loss-driven pupil dilation, a dissociation from typically developing controls — a narrower finding that bears on this claim