Electrophysiological Analysis of Outcome Evaluation Following Free-Choice and Forced-Choice Tasks
Mon—Casino_1.811—Poster1—2506
Presented by: Victor Mittelstädt
Several studies suggest that increased volitional control through choosing freely between options, rather than not being able to choose (forced-choice), can lead to differences in motivational, affective, and cognitive processing (e.g., sense of agency). These differences may, in turn, influence how we evaluate the outcomes associated with these options. However, it remains unclear how having control over choosing between different tasks that require more effortful processing when switching, as opposed to repeating, affects outcome evaluation. In the present electrophysiological study, participants freely chose between two tasks or were forced to perform one, and received performance-independent feedback (reward or loss) after correct performance. Preliminary results from two experiments show larger feedback-locked FCz and P3 amplitudes, along with increased midfrontal theta power, for feedback following more effortful task switches compared to task repetitions, and for free-choice compared to forced-choice tasks. Moreover, the increased neural outcome processing when switching tasks was more pronounced for free-choice than forced-choice tasks. Overall, these findings suggest that outcomes following freely chosen tasks are more strongly valued, with this value inflation being particularly pronounced when the task requires greater effort (i.e., during task switches).
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