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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Feedback information and the reward positivity.

Jeffrey Cockburn¹, Clay B Holroyd²

¹Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Blvd, Pasadena 91125, CA, USA.

International Journal of Psychophysiology : Official Journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology

|December 7, 2017

Summary

The reward positivity (an electroencephalogram component) tracks reward prediction errors but not supervised learning feedback. Later brain signals, however, process performance information for learning.

Keywords:

Event-related brain potential Feedback-related negativity Graded feedback Reinforcement learning Reward positivity Time estimation

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroscience of Learning
Electrophysiology

Background:

The reward positivity (RewP) is an event-related potential (ERP) linked to reward processing and reinforcement learning.
Its role in processing richer feedback information crucial for supervised learning remains unclear.
Understanding RewP's sensitivity to different feedback types can elucidate neural mechanisms of learning.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the reward positivity (ERP component) is sensitive to varying levels of performance feedback information.
To differentiate the roles of the RewP and subsequent ERPs in reinforcement versus supervised learning.

Main Methods:

Recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) from participants performing a time estimation task.
Systematically varied the information content of feedback stimuli across different experimental conditions.
Analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs), focusing on the reward positivity amplitude and subsequent components.

Main Results:

Reward positivity amplitude decreased as the information content of feedback stimuli increased.
Reward positivity amplitude did not correlate with trial-to-trial behavioral adjustments.
Later frontal-central and posterior ERP components, following the RewP, were associated with behavioral adjustments.

Conclusions:

The reward positivity appears to signal motivation related to feedback, rather than processing specific supervised learning information.
Subsequent ERP components, not the RewP itself, seem to implement supervised learning based on feedback.
This suggests distinct neural mechanisms for reinforcement and supervised learning within event-related potentials.