College Age Perfectionists Are More Sensitive to Punishment Than Reward Learning in a Probabilistic Category Learning Task

Perfectionism and anxiety were examined in a reward and punishment learning in a probabilistic category learning task. Undergraduates completed a computer-based task and measures of perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, sensitivity to punishment/reward, and state-trait anxiety. Overall, perfectionists had higher trait anxiety and were more responsive to punishment trials than non-perfectionists.