Behavioral and Electrophysiological Arguments in Favor of a Relationship between Impulsivity, Risk-Taking, and Success on the Iowa Gambling Task

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between trait impulsivity, risk-taking, and decision-making performance. We recruited 20 healthy participants who performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) to measure decision-making and risk-taking. The impulsivity was measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Resting-state neural activity was recorded to explore whether brain oscillatory rhythms provide important information about the dispositional trait of impulsivity. We found a significant correlation between the ability to develop a successful strategy and the propensity to take more risks in the first trials of the BART. Risk-taking was negatively correlated with cognitive impulsivity in participants who were unable to develop a successful strategy. Neither risk-taking nor decision-making was correlated with cortical asymmetry. In a more exploratory approach, the group was sub-divided in function of participants’ performances at the IGT. We found that the group who developed a successful strategy at the IGT was more prone to risk, whereas the group who failed showed a greater cognitive impulsivity. These results emphasize the need for individuals to explore their environment to develop a successful strategy in uncertain situations, which may not be possible without taking risks.

Behavioral and Neural Arguments of Motivational Influence on Decision Making During Uncertainty

“…The term undecided was used to highlight that subjects from this group were unable to move toward a positive or negative strategy. These participants favored neither advantageous nor disadvantageous decks (Giustiniani et al, 2015(Giustiniani et al, , 2019. Table 1 shows the net scores for both groups.…”

“…From the 4th block on (i.e., 60th trial), participants' net score was significantly different from zero. Per previous studies, subjects were then classified, post hoc, into two groups differing in net score in blocks 4-10, favorable if the net score was higher than 10, unfavorable if the net score was less than -10 and undecided if the net score range was between 10 and -10 ( Bechara et al, 1994Bechara et al, , 2000aBechara and Damasio, 2002;Giustiniani et al, 2015Giustiniani et al, , 2019. In the pool of 32 participants, fourteen subjects were found to develop a correct strategy and were assigned to the favorable group (mean age: 25.4 ±/ 5.9).…”

“…The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between motivation and decision-making under uncertain conditions. For that purpose, we selected 28 healthy participants, who performed versions of the IGT and the EEfRT adapted to study ERPs (Giustiniani et al, 2015(Giustiniani et al, , 2019. We hypothesized that the ability to develop an efficient strategy on the IGT could be explained by high motivational levels at the EEfRT.…”

Neural Activation in Risky Decision-Making Tasks in Healthy Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis of fMRI Data

“…Consequently, the GDT is an exclusive decision-making task under risk, without learning by feedback. These tests have been used in numerous studies in both healthy young and older populations, as well as in clinical populations (with psychiatric disorders, in particular) [16][17][18]. These studies have shown qualitative and quantitative differences in behavioral strategies in these tasks as a function of age, the presence of neurological lesions and/or neuropsychiatric pathologies.…”

Electrophysiological Measurement of Emotion and Somatic State Affecting Ambiguity Decision: Evidences From SCRs, ERPs, and HR

“…This may be because the explanation of PFC unilateralization did not take into account the psychological activities involved, nor did it take into account the differences between actions in preparation and execution. Moreover, Giustiniani et al (2019) research found that the unilateralization of the resting alpha level of PFC was only related to risky behavior, and not directly related to IGT performance. Therefore, whether the resting alpha level can be used as an indicator of somatic signals still needs further investigation.…”