Investigating Explore-Exploit Decision Making in Athletes

Presenter: Caroline Grace Coyle

Faculty Sponsor: Youngbin Kwak

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A68

ABSTRACT

Exploration and exploitation, also known as the explore-exploit tradeoff, is a fundamental concept within decision-making behavior. Exploiting is sticking with known options and therefore known rewards, whereas exploring is choosing an unknown option to gain knowledge and to possibly obtain a higher reward. The purpose of this study was to examine explore and exploit decision-making behavior in athletes compared to non-athletes. To do this, we used two versions of a three-armed bandit task to have a Win version and a Loss version. In the win version, each arm has a different probability of receiving 1 point, and the goal is to maximize the total number of points received. In the loss version, each arm has a different probability of losing 1 point, and the goal is to minimize the total number of points lost. A survey was then provided at the end to determine athletic involvement among the participants. The expected results are that athletes in team-based sports (hockey, football, etc..) will exhibit more explorative behavior than non-athletes, while athletes involved in individual sports (track, swimming, etc…) will exhibit more exploitative behavior than non-athletes. This suggests athletes involved in team-based sports will be more likely to exhibit risky and impulsive behavior, while those in individual sports will be more likely to stick with familiar options and make safer decisions. 

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