Is There a Gene for Learning from Decision-Making Errors?

Gene Variant May Influence How People Learn From Their Mistakes

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/318/5856/1539a.pdf

“Once burned, twice shy” works for most people. But some people are slow to learn
from bad experiences. Now, a team of neuroscientists in Germany reports ... that people with a particular gene variant have more difficulty learning via negative
reinforcement.

The research, which combined brain imaging with a task in which participants
chose between symbols on a computer screen, centers on the A1 variant,
or allele, of the gene encoding the D2 receptor, a protein on the surface of brain
cells activated by the neurotransmitter dopamine.