It’s not what you expect: feedback negativity is independent of reward expectation and affective responsivity in a non-probabilistic task

ERP studies commonly utilize gambling-based reinforcement tasks to elicit feedback negativity (FN) responses. This study used a pattern learning task in order to limit gambling-related fallacious reasoning and possible affective responses to gambling, while investigating rela- tionships between the FN components between high and low reward expectation conditions. Eighteen undergradu- ates completed measures of reinforcement sensitivity, trait and state affect, and psychophysiological recording. The pattern learning task elicited a FN component for both high and low win expectancy conditions, which was found to be independent of reward expectation and showed little rela- tionship with task and personality variables. We also observed a P3 component, which showed sensitivity to outcome expectancy variation and relationships to mea- sures of anxiety, appetitive motivation, and cortical asymmetry, although these varied by electrode location and expectancy condition. Findings suggest that the FN reflected a binary reward-related signal, with little rela- tionship to reward expectation found in previous studies, in the absence of positive affective responses