Effects of information and reward on stimulus‐preceding negativity prior to feedback stimuli

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of informational and motivational level of feedback stimuli on the stimulus‐preceding negativity (SPN). In the time estimation task, in which a visual stimulus was presented 3 s after a voluntary movement, (a) the information level (high information and low information) and (b) the motivation level (reward and no‐reward) for feedback stimuli were manipulated. Under the high‐information condition, subjects received feedback information about (1) correctness (correct or incorrect), (2) direction of error (under‐ or overestimate), and (3) degree of accuracy (accurate or less accurate) of their time estimation. In the low‐information condition, however, they received information about the correctness only. In the reward condition, they received a monetary reward for accurate time estimations but received nothing in the no‐reward condition. The results demonstrated a significant interaction of information by motivation level, showing that the SPN amplitude under the reward/high‐information was larger than that in the no‐reward/high‐information condition. The results are discussed in terms of emotional anticipation, taking into consideration the result of self‐report that subjects felt to be more motivated when they received precise information.