Neural Dynamics Underlying the Evaluation Process of Ambiguous Options During Reward-Related Decision-Making

• Main Authors: Chengkang Zhu, Jingjing Pan, Yiwen Wang, Jianbiao Li, Pengcheng Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-08-01
• Series: Frontiers in Psychology
• Subjects: ambiguous options; evaluation; neural dynamics; P3; delta activity
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01979/full

Ambiguous decision-making involves different processes. However, few studies have focused on the evaluation process. In this study, event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related spectrum perturbation (ERSP) techniques were used to explore the neural dynamics underlying the evaluation process of ambiguous options through an ambiguous choice task. Some important results emerged. We found a preference for lotteries with low ambiguity regardless of reward amount, suggesting that subjects were averse to ambiguity in our paradigm. Our electroencephalography (EEG) results clarified the neural dynamics underlying the evaluation process. In the time domain, lotteries with both a larger reward and lower ambiguity elicited a larger P3. In the time-frequency domain, larger amplitudes of delta activity at 200–400 ms and 500–600 ms post-stimulus were elicited by lotteries with low ambiguity. Moreover, lotteries with a larger reward elicited larger amplitudes of delta activity at 400–600 ms post-stimulus. Our ERPs and ERSP results suggested that individuals in our paradigm evaluated ambiguity and reward separately, and then integrated their evaluation to form subjective values of different lotteries.