Emotional Cue And Feedback Differently Modulate Decision

Previous studies have addressed the differential role of emotional cue and feedback on decision performance.It remains unclear how emotion-reward associations moderate decision-making strategies under different stages(ambiguous and risky),and whether people with higher depressive score show deficits in emotion/reward guided decision strategies.Using two modified Iowa Gambling Tasks,we quantified the modulatory effects of emotion on behavioral strategies when working as cue(IGT-A)and feedback(IGT-F)across different decision stages and associations.A two-way ANOVA was performed with association(congruent or incongruent)and group(depressed and control groups)as independent variables,and the number of card selections(losing choices,gaining choices),cumulative amounts,and decision strategies(emotion sensitivity,reward sensitivity)as dependent variables.The results are as follows.Firstly,association congruency impaired decision-making performance in both experiments,with fewer gaining card choices for incongruent associations than for congruent associations;and more losing card choices for incongruent associations than for congruent associations.Second,incongruent associations also impaired decisionmaking strategies,with reducing emotional sensitivity and reward sensitivity in the IGT-A and IGT-F.Thirdly,participants with higher depressive scores making fewer gaining card choices and cumulative amounts in the IGT-A than controls;and more losing card choices than controls,while no similar impairment was observed in the IGTF.Finally,high levels of depression impaired decision-making strategies,with reduced emotional sensitivity and reward sensitivity at the risk phase of IGT-A,participants with higher depressive scores also had increased punishment sensitivity in the ambiguous decision-making phase of the IGT-F.Our results highlight the differential roles of the contextual congruency and depression in guiding decision-making performance as well as decision-making strategies,which is also relying on the decision periods(ambiguous and risky).Moreover,for participants with higher depressive scores,emotional cues(compared to emotional feedback)may play a bigger role in guiding decision performance for participants with higher depressive scores during the ambiguous decision phase of the IGT-F.