Conduct problems include a pattern of behaviours that violate social norms and harm others. A person with conduct problems tends to have angry mood and a disregard for rules. Conduct problems are common among male children and adolescents. Past research has found deficits related to reinforcement learning and affective empathy among those with conduct problems. Reinforcement learning describes changes in one’s behaviour based on the positive (reward) or negative (punishment) outcomes of one’s actions. Some studies have found that boys with conduct problems are insensitive to punishment. Affective empathy involves the ability to share another person’s emotions without experiencing their situation. It is still challenging for researchers to study affective empathy. Neuroimaging studies looking at brain activity may provide further insight. The current study used a gambling task to assess brain activity related to reinforcement learning and affective empathy among boys with and without conduct problems.
