Comparing monetary gain and loss in the monetary incentive delay task: EEG evidence

Abstract What is more effective to guide behavior: The desire to gain or the fear to lose? Electroencephalography (EEG) studies have yielded inconsistent answers. In a systematic exploration of the valence and magnitude parameters in monetary gain and loss processing, we used time‐domain and time‐frequency‐domain analyses to uncover the underlying neural processes. A group of 24 participants performed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task in which cue‐induced anticipation of a high or low magnitude of gain or loss was manipulated trial‐wise. Behaviorally, the anticipation of both gain and loss expedited responses, with gain anticipation producing greater facilitation than loss anticipation. Analyses of cue‐locked P2 and P3 components revealed the significant valence main effect and valence × magnitude interaction: amplitude differences between high and low incentive magnitudes were larger with gain vs. loss cues. However, the contingent negative variation component was sensitive to incentive magnitude but did not vary with incentive valence. In the feedback phase, the RewP component exhibited reversed patterns for gain and loss trials. Time‐frequency analyses revealed a large increase in delta/theta‐ERS oscillatory activity in high‐ vs. low‐magnitude conditions and a large decrease of alpha‐ERD oscillatory activity in gain vs. loss conditions in the anticipation stage. In the consumption stage, delta/theta‐ERS turned out stronger for negative than positive feedback, especially in the gain condition. Overall, our study provides new evidence for the neural oscillatory features of monetary gain and loss processing in the MID task, suggesting that participants invested more attention under gain and high‐magnitude conditions vs. loss and low‐magnitude conditions.