The review highlights hierarchical Bayesian inference as a useful framework for understanding how we update our beliefs about others’ intentions during social learning. Recent  psychopharmacological and computational studies suggest that D2/D3 dopamine receptors regulate the balance between updating trust beliefs based on new information and maintaining existing ones, offering novel insights into the mechanisms of antipsychotic medications. Dopamine signals which information is relevant for learning, where both excessive and insufficient dopamine can lead to a sub-optimal balance between maintenance and updating of beliefs. For example, in conditions like paranoia, elevated dopamine in the dorsal striatum and altered fronto-striatal connectivity contribute to distorted trust learning. It remains unclear at which stage of the belief formation process computational disruptions occur or how changes in fronto-striatal connectivity result in impaired belief updating. The authors discuss key issues that should be addressed in future research to advance our current understanding of the role of dopamine in social learning.

Schuster, B. A., & Lamm, C. (2025). How dopamine shapes trust beliefs. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 136, 111206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111206.