From neural representations of affect to affective and preference-based choice

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Radoslaw Martin Cichy; Professor Dr. Arthur M. Jacobs
• Subject Area: Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 446620783

Affects prominently impact our decisions. Thus, understanding the neural mechanisms that mediate decisions based on affective content of sensory stimuli is of critical interest to neuroscience, psychology, and society equally. This requires an account of the two-step process that links affective stimuli to neural activity, and neural activity to choice behavior. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to clarify this two-step process. We will investigate two kinds of choice: affective choice, i.e., deciding about the affective content of a stimulus (positive/negative), and preference-based choice, i.e., deciding on a response option (“do I want X or rather Y?”). To experimentally assess the complex spatiotemporal neural dynamics underlying affective processing and choice, we make use of recently developed multivariate analysis techniques that can reveal specific affective contents from neural activity, and that can integrate spatial with temporal information from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) respectively in a common framework. In detail, we have three main aims that we will tackle in a separate work package (WP) each. WP1 will detail the relation between a stimulus’ affective content and neural activity (i.e. step 1). For this, we will measure the complex neural dynamics during affective processing with fMRI and EEG and combine both for a spatiotemporally resolved view. We will dissociate sensory from affective content processing proper by comparing neural responses stimuli that carry similar affective content, but differ in sensory features, i.e. words and images. WPs 2 and 3 are concerned with the link between neural activity representing affective contents and choice behavior (i.e. step 2). WP2 will unravel the neural underpinnings of affective choice by dissociating choice-relevant from choice-irrelevant neural activity encoding affective contents. For this, we will adapt a classical choice probability paradigm from vision science. WP3 will address the neural underpinnings of affective choice of preference-based decisions. For this we will determine where and when in the brain affect-related activity predicts preference decisions. In sum, our research will provide a systematic, spatiotemporally resolved, and comprehensive account of the two-step process that links affective stimuli to choice behavior via the neural representation of affective content. It will thus contribute to a more profound understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying affective choice and behavior.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants