Neural correlates of valence-dependent belief and value updating during uncertainty reduction: an fNIRS study

Peng, Xue-Rui, Bundil, Indra, Schulreich, Stefan and Li, Shu-Chen 2023. Neural correlates of valence-dependent belief and value updating during uncertainty reduction: an fNIRS study. NeuroImage 279 , 120327. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120327

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Abstract

Selective use of new information is crucial for adaptive decision-making. Combining a gamble bidding task with assessing cortical responses using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated potential effects of information valence on behavioral and neural processes of belief and value updating during uncertainty reduction in young adults. By modeling changes in the participants’ expressed subjective values (i.e., value updating) using a Bayesian model, we dissociated processes of (i) updating beliefs about statistical properties of the gamble, (ii) updating values of a gamble based on new information about its winning probabilities, as well as (iii) expectancy violation. The results showed that participants used new information to update their beliefs and values about the gambles in a quasi-optimal manner, as reflected in the selective updating only in situations with reducible uncertainty. Furthermore, their updating was valence-dependent: information indicating an increase in winning probability was underweighted, whereas information about a decrease in winning probability was updated in good agreement with predictions of the Bayesian decision theory. Results of model-based and moderation analyses showed that this valence-dependent asymmetry was associated with a distinct contribution of expectancy violation, besides belief updating, to value updating after experiencing new positive information regarding winning probabilities. In line with the behavioral results, we replicated previous findings showing involvements of frontoparietal brain regions in the different components of updating. Furthermore, this study provided novel results suggesting a valence-dependent recruitment of brain regions. Individuals with stronger oxyhemoglobin responses during value updating was more in line with predictions of the Bayesian model while integrating new information that indicates an increase in winning probability. Taken together, this study provides first results showing expectancy violation as a contributing factor to valence-dependent updating during uncertainty reduction and suggests limitations of normative Bayesian decision theory.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2023-08-12
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1053-8119
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 August 2023
Date of Acceptance:	11 August 2023
Last Modified:	07 Sep 2023 01:47
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/161831

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