Willingness valued more than ability in partner choice: Insights into behavioral and ERP data

Abstract In human cooperation, people prefer to choose partners with high willingness and ability—while both are valued by partners, individuals often prioritize willingness. Two event‐related potential (ERP) experiments were conducted to discern the neural processes underpinning this preference. In the first experiment, participants made a choice between two potential partners and received feedback on the selected partner's willingness to cooperate. This was followed by feedback on the partner's task performance (ability) or a gambling outcome. In contrast, the second experiment first provided feedback on ability, then presented feedback on willingness or a gambling outcome. This study revealed that a potential partner's willingness trait significantly influences individuals’ emotional evaluations and monetary allocations than the ability trait. Electrophysiological data indicated that low‐willingness feedback elicited a diminished feedback‐related negative (FRN) and an amplified P3 compared to high‐willingness feedback. In contrast, no such difference was discernible between high‐ and low‐ability feedback. Moreover, the P3 difference from high versus low willingness was considerably more pronounced than that from gambling outcomes, whereas the difference wave between high and low ability paralleled gambling outcomes. These findings bolster the novel finding that partner willingness may provide more substantial social rewards than ability. Furthermore, this study provides the first ERP evidence of willingness and ability trait perceptions in partner choice decisions.