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The devil you know: neuroticism predicts neural response to uncertainty
Jacob B Hirsh1, Michael Inzlicht
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. jacob.hirsh@utoronto.ca
Individuals high in neuroticism show heightened neurophysiological responses to uncertainty. Their brains react more strongly to the unknown than to negative outcomes, unlike others.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Individual Differences
Background:
- Individuals exhibit varying tolerance for uncertainty.
- High neuroticism is associated with aversive responses to the unknown.
- Neurophysiological correlates of uncertainty processing are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neurophysiological responses to uncertainty.
- To examine the role of neuroticism in affective responses to uncertainty.
- To analyze the feedback-related negativity (FRN) in relation to uncertainty and neuroticism.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an event-related potential (ERP) framework.
- Recorded electroencephalography (EEG) during a time-estimation task.
- Analyzed the feedback-related negativity (FRN) following positive, negative, and uncertain feedback.
Main Results:
- A larger FRN was observed after negative feedback compared to positive feedback across all participants.
- Individuals high in trait neuroticism exhibited a larger FRN to uncertain feedback than to negative feedback.
- This suggests a distinct neural processing of uncertainty in neurotic individuals.
Conclusions:
- Trait neuroticism significantly modulates neurophysiological responses to uncertainty.
- Uncertainty elicits a stronger neural signal than negative feedback in highly neurotic individuals.
- Findings contribute to understanding the affective processing of uncertainty in relation to personality traits.
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