The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory
The present research was designed to test whether the subjective experience of more effort related to more reward valuation as measured by a neural response. This prediction was derived from the theory of cognitive dissonance and its effort justification paradigm. Young adult participants (n = 82) e...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00157/full |
| _version_ | 1831788268140625920 |
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| author | Eddie Harmon-Jones Daniel Clarke Katharina Paul Cindy Harmon-Jones |
| author_facet | Eddie Harmon-Jones Daniel Clarke Katharina Paul Cindy Harmon-Jones |
| author_sort | Eddie Harmon-Jones |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present research was designed to test whether the subjective experience of more effort related to more reward valuation as measured by a neural response. This prediction was derived from the theory of cognitive dissonance and its effort justification paradigm. Young adult participants (n = 82) engaged in multiple trails of a low or high effort task that resulted in a loss or reward on each trial. Neural responses to the reward (loss) cue were measured using EEG so that the event-related potential known as the Reward Positivity (RewP) could be assessed. Results revealed no significant differences between low and high effort conditions on the RewP. However, within the high effort condition, a more subjective experience of effort was associated with a larger RewP. This research extends past research on the effort justification paradigm of cognitive dissonance theory by suggesting that effort justification is associated with an implicit measure of reward valuation. It, therefore, challenges recent perspectives on dissonance processes that posit that these evaluative changes should only occur on explicit but not implicit measures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:46:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c06c2cf9f4664d15b86dab18a26918b1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:46:24Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-c06c2cf9f4664d15b86dab18a26918b12022-12-21T18:23:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612020-05-011410.3389/fnhum.2020.00157515788The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance TheoryEddie Harmon-Jones0Daniel Clarke1Katharina Paul2Cindy Harmon-Jones3School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaDepartment of Experimental, Clinical, and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumSchool of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaThe present research was designed to test whether the subjective experience of more effort related to more reward valuation as measured by a neural response. This prediction was derived from the theory of cognitive dissonance and its effort justification paradigm. Young adult participants (n = 82) engaged in multiple trails of a low or high effort task that resulted in a loss or reward on each trial. Neural responses to the reward (loss) cue were measured using EEG so that the event-related potential known as the Reward Positivity (RewP) could be assessed. Results revealed no significant differences between low and high effort conditions on the RewP. However, within the high effort condition, a more subjective experience of effort was associated with a larger RewP. This research extends past research on the effort justification paradigm of cognitive dissonance theory by suggesting that effort justification is associated with an implicit measure of reward valuation. It, therefore, challenges recent perspectives on dissonance processes that posit that these evaluative changes should only occur on explicit but not implicit measures.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00157/fulleffortrewardcognitive dissonancereward positivityevent-related potentials |
| spellingShingle | Eddie Harmon-Jones Daniel Clarke Katharina Paul Cindy Harmon-Jones The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory Frontiers in Human Neuroscience effort reward cognitive dissonance reward positivity event-related potentials |
| title | The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory |
| title_full | The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory |
| title_short | The Effect of Perceived Effort on Reward Valuation: Taking the Reward Positivity (RewP) to Dissonance Theory |
| title_sort | effect of perceived effort on reward valuation taking the reward positivity rewp to dissonance theory |
| topic | effort reward cognitive dissonance reward positivity event-related potentials |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00157/full |
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