Beyond uniformity: individual sensitivities to reward and punishment shape midfrontal-theta responses to approach avoidance conflict.

ABSTRACT: Approach-avoidance conflict (AAC) is a core aspect of decision-making, involving competing appetitive and aversive outcomes. Given substantial individual differences in sensitivity to reward and punishment, AAC experiences likely vary across individuals. This study examined the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying AAC, focusing on these individual differences. Participants completed a task with four levels of reward and punishment probabilities (.25, .50, .75, 1), choosing to accept or reject rewards paired with potential punishments. Importantly, we did not find a uniform condition that consistently elicited maximum or minimum AAC across participants. We identified individualized high- and low-conflict conditions using three metrics: reaction time, reward rejection rate, and a composite B

SUBMITTER: Pandey S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12704425 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature