Social dimension and complexity differentially influence brain responses during feedback processing

Abstract

Recent research emphasizes the importance of social factors during performance monitoring. Thus, the current study investigated the impact of social stimuli -such as communicative gestures- on feedback processing. Moreover, it addressed a shortcoming of previous studies, which failed to consider stimulus complexity as potential confounding factor. Twenty-four volunteers performed a time estimation task while their electroencephalogram was recorded. Either social complex, social non-complex, non-social complex, or non-social non-complex stimuli were used to provide performance feedback. No effects of social dimension or complexity were found for task performance. In contrast, Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and P300 amplitudes were sensitive to both factors, with larger FRN and P300 amplitudes after social compared to non-social stimuli, and larger FRN amplitudes after complex positive than non-complex positive stimuli. P2 amplitudes were solely sensitive to feedback valence and social dimension. Subjectively, social complex stimuli were rated as more motivating than non-social complex ones. Independently of each other, social dimension and visual complexity influenced amplitude variation during performance monitoring. Social stimuli seem to be perceived as more salient, which is corroborated by P2, FRN and P300 results, as well as by subjective ratings. This could be explained due to their given relevance during every day social interactions.

Converging electrophysiological evidence for a processing advantage of social over nonsocial feedback

“…Thus, the mere presentation of stimulus characteristics implying a social setting was enough to modulate neural correlates of feedback processing-most likely reflecting a bottom-up effect of the social stimuli. However, we demonstrated these results only in a western sample (Pfabigan, et al, 2019), which limits generalizability to this cultural group.…”

“…Several recent studies have demonstrated that early brain responses reflecting the activity of our performance monitoring system are sensitive to physical stimulus properties of external feedback stimuli. While Liu, Nelson, Bernat, & Gehring (2014) and Pfabigan, Sailer, & Lamm (2015) showed that perceptual properties such as similarity of perceptual features and stimulus size differentially influence performance monitoring correlates, we demonstrated that social versus nonsocial stimulus characteristics were reflected in early brain responses to feedback stimuli (Pfabigan, Gittenberger, & Lamm, 2019). The authors reported that social (vs. nonsocial) and complex (vs. noncomplex) feedback stimuli enhanced processing of feedback information at several successive stages.…”

“…The current study was designed to replicate systemically and potentially extend our previous findings (Pfabigan, et al, 2019) in a Chinese sample (as a subgroup of East Asian individuals) characterized by an emphasis on interdependent selfconstruals. Replication studies can be seldom found in published research, although reproducibility is a basic and indispensable requirement of empirical science that should be more strongly acknowledged also in psychological science (Giner-Sorolla, 2012;Schmidt, 2009) to foster recent replication efforts (Open Science, 2015;Pashler & Harris, 2012).…”

“…Thumbs up/down served as social feedback stimuli, while patterned plus/minus symbols served as nonsocial ones-all representing highly overlearned stimuli conveying valence information. Importantly, these stimuli were approximately matched for visual complexity, which was identified as another factor influencing performance monitoring ERPs (Pfabigan, et al, 2019).…”

“…We hypothesized that social feedback stimuli also would demonstrate their processing advantage compared with nonsocial ones in the Chinese sample-reflected in enhanced FRN, P300, and P2 amplitudes for social compared with nonsocial feedback stimuli (Pfabigan, et al, 2019). Moreover, because previous research has shown individual variations of brain activity related to variation of interdependent selfconstrual (Ma et al, 2014), a cultural trait that characterizes East Asian samples, we explored whether interdependent self-construal was related to the hypothesized processing advantage of social versus nonsocial feedback stimuli (Hitokoto, et al, 2016;Kitayama & Park, 2014).…”