title: No pain, no gain: the affective valence of congruency conditions changes following a successful response.
abstract: The cognitive control theory of Botvinick, Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, 356-366 (2007) integrates cognitive and affective control processes by emphasizing the aversive nature of cognitive conflict. Using an affective priming paradigm, we replicate earlier results showing that incongruent trials, relative to congruent trials, are indeed perceived as more aversive (Dreisbach & Fischer, Brain and Cognition, 78(2), 94-98 (2012)). Importantly, however, in two experiments we demonstrate that this effect is reversed following successful responses; correctly responding to incongruent trials engendered relatively more positive affect than correctly responding to congruent trials. The results are discussed in light of a recent computational model by Silvetti, Seurinck, and Verguts, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 5:75 (2011) where it is assumed that outcome expectancies are more negative for incongruent trials than congruent trials. Consequently, the intrinsic reward (prediction error) following successful completion is larger for incongruent than congruent trials. These findings divulge a novel perspective on 'cognitive' adaptations to conflict.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schouppe
authors.forename: Senne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Braem
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Houwer
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silvetti
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Verguts
authors.forename: K Richard
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Ridderinkhof
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Notebaert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D060865:Repetition Priming / Q000502:physiology; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult