Loss feedback negativity elicited by single- versus conjoined-feature stimuli

Event-related brain potential studies show that negative feedback in guessing tasks elicits a medial frontal negativity. Most theory and experimentation concerning this feedback-related negativity (FRN) has assumed that the FRN has little relationship to the perceptual characteristics of the feedback. This study challenges this assumption. We used a single visual feature or a conjunction of features to indicate reward feedback in a gambling task. In the single-feature condition, losses elicited a larger FRN than gains; in the conjoined-feature condition, that difference was not observed. The results are consistent with the proposal that the FRN is modulated by the deviation of feedback stimuli from a perceptual template. Future studies must not confound the perceptual properties and the valence of reward feedback.