Dr Saloni Krishnan — Royal Holloway, University of London
We constantly learn words from context, even in the absence of explicit rewards or feedback. In adults, intrinsic reward experienced during word learning is linked to a dopaminergic circuit in the brain. The experience of reward is also linked to enhancements in memory for those words. In this registered report, we examine if adolescents aged 10–18 report enhanced reward or enjoyment, and ensuing memory benefits, when they successfully learn words from sentence context. We have tested 300+ children so far. In addition to talking about developmental change in reward experienced during this period, I will focus on some of the advantages and challenges of conducting this research online.
