Incidental emotions influence risk preference and outcome evaluation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Decision Science
• Affective Science

Background:

• Incidental emotions, irrelevant to the immediate task, significantly impact decision-making.
• Understanding the unconscious influence of emotions on cognitive processes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of incidental emotions on behavioral, psychological, and electrophysiological responses during decision-making.
• To explore how negative, neutral, and positive emotional stimuli affect risk preference and outcome evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed a monetary gambling task while viewing emotional pictures (negative, neutral, positive) before making choices.
• Electrophysiological responses (ERPs) and self-reported emotional experiences were recorded during outcome feedback.
• Behavioral choices and ERP components (Feedback-Related Negaivity, P3) were analyzed in relation to emotional conditions.

Main Results:

• Positive incidental emotions led to increased risk preference.
• Feedback-related negativity amplitudes were higher in the positive emotion condition for small outcomes.
• P3 amplitudes were reduced in the negative emotion condition, suggesting altered outcome evaluation.
• Subjective emotional experiences to feedback remained unaffected by incidental emotions.

Conclusions:

• Incidental emotions unconsciously modulate both the option assessment and outcome evaluation stages of decision-making.
• Emotional stimuli can alter risk-taking behavior and neural processing of feedback, even without conscious awareness of the emotional impact.
• Findings deepen the understanding of the pervasive role of incidental emotion in human decision-making processes.