The reward positivity is sensitive to affective liking

Abstract

The EEG feature known as the Reward Positivity (RewP) is elicited by reward receipt and appears to reflect sensitively and specifically positive prediction errors during reinforcement learning. Yet, the RewP also is modulated by state and trait affect, suggesting that it has a more complex computational role than simple reinforcement surprise. We conducted a series of experiments aimed to investigate underlying affect processing reflected in the RewP during a reinforcement learning task. In the first experiment (N = 25), we manipulated the type of rewards a person could win (simple points or hedonically-appraised pictures). Although there were no differences in the amplitudes of the RewP for different types of rewards, there was a significant correlation between the individual rating of liking for the images and RewP amplitude. In a second experiment (N = 25), we manipulated reinforcement rates (easy vs. hard) and affective picture content (liked vs. ambivalent) to examine the potential interaction of prediction error and liking on RewP amplitude. We again found a significant relationship between liking and RewP amplitude, however, only in the hard condition. These findings suggest that the RewP reflects cortical computations of reward surprise as well as hedonic liking, identifying it as a possible nexus where multidimensional value is computed.

All the Pringle ladies: Neural and behavioral responses to high‐calorie food rewards in young adult women

“…With a sample size of 141, and α error probability set to 0.05, the smallest effect size we could detect was r = 0.23. Several studies investigating correlations between the RewP and motivation variables have detected associations larger than r = 0.23 (e.g., Angus et al, 2015;Brown et al, 2022;Foti & Hajcak, 2010), suggesting that our sample size would support our analyses. All participants identified as female were at least 18 years old and indicated that they were able to read and write in English.…”

“…RewP magnitude may thus reflect not only subjective liking (Baskin-Sommers & Foti, 2015;Brown et al, 2022), but also wanting (i.e., motivation to attend to and pursue rewarding stimuli; Angus et al, 2015;Huvermann et al, 2021;Threadgill & Gable, 2016). This is congruent with the idea that the RewP is a multidimensional neural marker of reward processing that reflects information about several reward aspects (Brown et al, 2022;Sambrook & Goslin, 2015), including reward outcome probability and magnitude (Heydari & Holroyd, 2016;Holroyd & Coles, 2002;Sambrook & Goslin, 2015), subjective preference (Jia et al, 2013;Peterburs et al, 2019), and approach motivation (Angus et al, 2015;Threadgill & Gable, 2016). Food RewP magnitude was also not significantly associated with time elapsed since participants' last meal, although there was a positive correlation between these variables that did not reach statistical significance.…”

“…However, much of this prior work included aspects of both reward liking and wanting (Angus et al, 2015; Huvermann et al, 2021; Jia et al, 2013), whereas participants in our study rated only how much they liked the snack they picked. RewP magnitude may thus reflect not only subjective liking (Baskin‐Sommers & Foti, 2015; Brown et al, 2022), but also wanting (i.e., motivation to attend to and pursue rewarding stimuli; Angus et al, 2015; Huvermann et al, 2021; Threadgill & Gable, 2016). This is congruent with the idea that the RewP is a multidimensional neural marker of reward processing that reflects information about several reward aspects (Brown et al, 2022; Sambrook & Goslin, 2015), including reward outcome probability and magnitude (Heydari & Holroyd, 2016; Holroyd & Coles, 2002; Sambrook & Goslin, 2015), subjective preference (Jia et al, 2013; Peterburs et al, 2019), and approach motivation (Angus et al, 2015; Threadgill & Gable, 2016).…”

“…An enhanced RewP is also observed following rewards of higher value (Goyer et al, 2008; Meadows et al, 2016; Sambrook & Goslin, 2015; San Martín, 2012; San Martín et al, 2010), and appears to be associated with approach motivation (Grand et al, 2017; Lange et al, 2012; Threadgill & Gable, 2016). For instance, individuals in affective states associated with lower likelihood of reward approach (e.g., sadness) display a blunted neural response to reward (Foti & Hajcak, 2010), while individuals who report greater subjective reward “liking” exhibit an enhanced RewP to that reward (Angus et al, 2015; Brown et al, 2022; Huvermann et al, 2021; Jia et al, 2013; Peterburs et al, 2019). Further, a study by Baker et al (2016) showed that, after 24 h of abstinence from smoking, smokers displayed an enhanced RewP to cues indicating that they won the chance to smoke, compared to monetary rewards, suggesting that greater desire for a specific reward may modulate neural response to that reward.…”

Sex-specific association between emotion negativity and neural processing of reward feedback in young children

“…Because we expected to find at least the link of RewP or FN amplitudes and emotional negativity. Several ERP studies in adults appear to indicate that gain-related RewP ERP is modulated by hedonic “liking”, and both state and trait affect(Angus, Kemkes, Schutter, & Harmon-Jones, 2015; Brown, Jackson, & Cavanagh, 2022). However, we do not know such relationship was sex-specific or not, as most of those study did not include sex as an independent variable.…”