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The anger incentive delay task: A novel method for studying anger in neuroscience research
Douglas Jozef Angus1,2, Eddie Harmon-Jones2
1Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Psychophysiology
|September 25, 2018
Summary
Researchers developed a new task to study anger. This method successfully induced anger by frustrating accurate responses with monetary losses, correlating with brain activity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Anger is challenging to induce reliably in laboratory settings.
- Existing methods for anger induction are time-consuming and unsuitable for studying rapid neural changes.
- There is a need for efficient methods to investigate the neural correlates of subjective anger experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel, trial-by-trial task for manipulating anger.
- To examine the electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates, specifically event-related potentials (ERPs), of anger.
- To investigate the relationship between neural activity and self-reported anger during the task.
Main Methods:
- Participants engaged in an incentive delay task with monetary rewards and punishments.
- Anger was manipulated by varying the consistency between accuracy feedback and monetary outcomes.
- Event-related potentials (ERPs), particularly the P3b component, were recorded and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Participants reported the highest anger levels following accurate responses that resulted in monetary losses (frustrating outcomes).
- P3b amplitudes were significantly larger for inconsistent outcomes compared to consistent outcomes.
- A positive correlation was found between P3b amplitudes and self-reported anger specifically on frustrating trials.
Conclusions:
- The developed task effectively induces anger and allows for the study of its neural underpinnings.
- Inconsistent outcomes, especially frustrating losses, elicit heightened neural responses (P3b) and anger.
- P3b amplitude serves as a neural marker for anger experienced during goal frustration.
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