Shared hidden-factor information framework for multiple behavioral tasks

Abstract: Understanding cognitive processes in major depressive disorder (MDD) often relies on behavioral tasks, which are typically analyzed separately, overlooking potential correlations and shared latent structure. To address this limitation, we propose the Shared Hidden-factor Information Framework for Multiple Behavioral Tasks (SHIFT), a joint modeling approach that leverages shared information across tasks, allowing each task to benefit from information learned by the others. SHIFT introduces subject-specific latent factors that capture cross-task dependencies while accommodating individual heterogeneity in decision-making, response times (RTs), and strategy switching. To address computational challenges without requiring high-dimensional integration, we develop an expectation-maximization with variational approximation algorithm that preserves both temporal structure and between-task dependencies. Through extensive simulation studies, we demonstrate that SHIFT substantially improves estimation accuracy and efficiency relative to single-task analyses. We then apply SHIFT to a study of MDD to jointly model the Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT) and the Flanker Task (FT). Results indicate that MDD participants show lower engagement in the PRT and reduced focus in the FT compared with healthy controls. Moreover, when individuals are engaged and focused, they exhibit longer RTs. Although observed RTs do not predict treatment response, the shared parameters recovered by SHIFT showed suggestive treatment-modulation patterns, indicating their potential as exploratory behavioral markers for therapeutic outcomes.