The influence of self-construals on the ERP response to the rewards for self and friend

Abstract

Temporary self-construal (independent vs. interdependent) priming can modulate the neural response to the reward for an individual. Our previous event-related potential (ERP) studies have indicated that people experience the rewards for a friend less strongly than they experience the same amount rewards for themselves. However, an issue remaining unclear is whether the ERP responses to rewards for a friend vary according to the way in which the self is construed. In the present study, we manipulated participants' self-construal (independent vs. interdependent) and found that independent self-construal priming resulted in a greater feedback-related negativity (FRN) in response to outcome feedback for oneself than for a friend during a monetary gambling task. In contrast, interdependent self-construal priming resulted in a comparable FRN in response to outcome feedback for oneself and for a friend. The P3 amplitude was insensitive to the self-construal manipulation. Our findings suggest that interdependent priming may result in comparable motivation elicited by rewards for participants themselves and for their friends. This study provides novel evidence that the neural response to rewards for friend varies according to the way in which the self is construed.

Keywords: Event-related potential (ERP); Feedback-related negativity (FRN); Friend; Outcome evaluation; Self; Self-construals.