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The magnification of skill component in gambling as well as the gambler's and hot hand fallacies are gambling-related cognitive distortions. The magnification of skill component refers to the belief that one's ability can be used to win in gambling and that there is a reliable way to do so. The gambler's fallacy refers to the belief that a given outcome is unlikely to follow a preceding run of the same outcome (e.g. a coin coming up heads following a run of heads), while the hot hand fallacy refers to the belief that a streak of wins is going to continue. The biopsychological basis of these cognitive distortions can be analyzed by examining the processing of near outcomes and outcome sequences in gambling. Near outcomes refer to close wins and losses that would have almost resulted in the other outcome. The current study aims to investigate the electrophysiological basis of said cognitive distortions as well as its modulation by gambling problems. In the current study a group of problem gamblers and matched controls gambled on a wheel of fortune and a coin toss paradigm. The processing of near outcomes and outcome sequences was analyzed using event-related potentials (FRN, P300). Near outcomes evoked smaller P300 amplitudes in both groups. Furthermore, previous wins were associated with increased P300 amplitudes. Outcome closeness and previous outcome sequences did not modulate the FRN amplitude. The processing of near outcomes and outcome sequences was not modulated by gambling problems. General differences between problem gamblers and controls were found, with problem gamblers showing reduced peak-to-peak FRN amplitudes. This might point towards a generally more favorable evaluation of gambling outcomes in problem gamblers while the electrophysiological correlates of the analyzed cognitive distortions do not differ from those of healthy controls.

In a recent study we have demonstrated that the feedback-related negativity (FRN) reflects the integrated value of instantaneous and delayed decision consequences (Osinsky et al. 2017). In the present work, we extend this research by using a novel choice task in which instant and delayed consequence values of a single decision outcome can be manipulated independently of each other in a trial-wise manner. Fifty-nine healthy participants completed this task while EEG was recorded. Twenty-two of them returned one week later for a retesting, allowing for investigating temporal stability of individual FRN indices. Our results show that the FRN mainly reflects the additively integrated value of instant and delayed outcome consequences. Individual differences in the FRN sensitivity to the two consequence dimensions were specifically predictive for consequence-driven adjustments in choice behavior and moderately stable over time. Altogether, our findings are inconsistent with the idea that the FRN reflects a simple binary distinction between favorable and unfavorable action outcomes. Rather, the FRN appears to mirror a fine-grained scaling of action outcomes, which results from stable personal reward preferences and which is used for adjusting choice behavior. Given that the FRN is generated in the anterior midcingulate cortex, our study adds to recent literature according to which this structure uses multiple information to learn complex action-outcome values.

Abstract. Affective science calls for methods to induce mood in an engaging and ecologically valid way. We present a method employing a naturally occurring scenario that fits these criteria: a job interview. Participants got positive or negative feedback from a fictive expert to induce positive or negative mood. After mood induction, we assessed participants’ decision making behavior in the so-called information sampling task (IST). Results show that our mood induction successfully changed valence, dominance, and state self-esteem ratings, while there were no differences in arousal ratings. Decision making in the IST was not influenced by the induced mood. Effect sizes of mood induction were equally high for positive and negative mood concerning valence ratings (d = .8) with participants scoring high on self-control showing smaller mood induction effects. We conclude that our mood induction technique is an effective and natural way to induce mood in the laboratory, meeting current criteria of affective science.

Outcomes in gambling games cannot only be classified based on their valence (wins and misses) but also based on their closeness (near and full outcomes). The present study investigated autonomic responses (phasic heart period changes and skin conductance responses) to near and full outcomes on a wheel of fortune in a sample of males with different degrees of gambling problems. Near relative to full outcomes elicited increased interbeat intervals shortly after outcome presentation. Furthermore, participants with more severe gambling problems showed increased skin conductance responses following near relative to full outcomes as well as relatively smaller interbeat interval responses to near relative to full misses. The findings confirm different processing of near compared to full outcomes and altered processing of gambling outcomes with increasing severity of gambling problems.

In the dictator game, a proposer can share a certain amount of money between himself or herself and a receiver, who has no opportunity of influencing the offer. Rational choice theory predicts that dictators keep all money for themselves. But people often are offering money to receivers, despite their opportunity to maximize their own profit and therefore showing altruistic behavior. In this study, we investigated the influence of the altruism of the dictator, the anonymity of the decision and the income of the receiver on the offer made by a dictator. Additionally, we were interested in the influence of midfrontal theta activity prior to the offer, indicating the upcoming decision. The height of the offer made by the dictator was dependent on all variables investigated: Altruism of the dictator led to higher offers and income of the receiver led to higher offer the poorer the receivers are. The anonymity of the decision had two effects, depending on the altruism of the dictator, with higher offers for highly altruistic dictators, when they were not observed, and lower offers for less altruistic dictators in this condition. Finally, midfrontal theta activity predicts upcoming fair offers, maybe indicating altruistic motivation or empathy on physiological basis.

Studies investigating the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and the P300 following near misses, full misses, and wins have yielded inconsistent results. Furthermore, the P300 results were likely confounded by an oddball effect due to the probabilities of the different outcomes. We introduced a fourth outcome (narrow win), which allows for balanced outcome probabilities and thus rules out potential oddball effects. We measured the FRN and P300 as well as subjective ratings while participants were gambling on a wheel of fortune. The FRN was larger following misses compared to wins and larger following near compared to full outcomes. For the P300, we observed a larger positivity following wins compared to misses and full compared to near outcomes. These findings further corroborate that near and full outcomes are processed as distinct events even though they result in the same monetary outcomes.

Theta oscillations in the EEG have been shown to reflect ongoing cognitive processes related to mental effort. Here, we show that the pattern of theta oscillation in response to varying cognitive demands reflects stable individual differences in the personality trait epistemic motivation: Individuals with high levels of epistemic motivation recruit relatively more cognitive resources in response to situations possessing high, compared to low, cognitive demand; individuals with low levels do not show such a specific response. Our results provide direct evidence for the theory of the construct need for cognition and add to our understanding of the neural processes underlying theta oscillations. More generally, we provide an explanation how individual differences in personality traits might be represented on a neural level.

Studies investigating the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and the P300 following near misses, full misses, and wins have yielded inconsistent results. Furthermore, the P300 results were likely confounded by an oddball effect due to the probabilities of the different outcomes. We introduced a fourth outcome (narrow win), which allows for balanced outcome probabilities and thus rules out potential oddball effects. We measured the FRN and P300 as well as subjective ratings while participants were gambling on a wheel of fortune. The FRN was larger following misses compared to wins and larger following near compared to full outcomes. For the P300, we observed a larger positivity following wins compared to misses and full compared to near outcomes. These findings further corroborate that near and full outcomes are processed as distinct events even though they result in the same monetary outcomes.