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Transfer of information across repeated decisions in general and in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Significance Real-life decisions are often repeated. Whether considering taking a new job, or doing something mundane like checking if the stove is off, people frequently revisit decisions. This mode of behavior takes a particularly pathological form in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Surprisingly, little is known about how information is transferred across decisions, and whether and how such transfer is disrupted in OCD. Data from a repeated decision-making task and computational modeling revealed that different memory systems separately biased repeated decisions toward previous choices by changing how people weigh evidence. Transfer specifically driven by implicit memory was reduced in individuals with higher levels of OCD symptoms on top of other baseline decision-making deficits, offering computational insight into checking behavior. Real-life decisions are often repeated. Whether considering taking a job in a new city, or doing something mundane like checking if the stove is off, decisions are frequently revisited even if no new information is available. This mode of behavior takes a particularly pathological form in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), which is marked by individuals’ redeliberating previously resolved decisions. Surprisingly, little is known about how information is transferred across decision episodes in such circumstances, and whether and how such transfer varies in OCD. In two experiments, data from a repeated decision-making task and computational modeling revealed that both implicit and explicit memories of previous decisions affected subsequent decisions by biasing the rate of evidence integration. Further, we replicated previous work demonstrating impairments in baseline decision-making as a function of self-reported OCD symptoms, and found that information transfer effects specifically due to implicit memory were reduced, offering computational insight into checking behavior.