We investigate the empirical validity of two hypotheses, duplex decomposition (DD) and general segregation (GS), regarding decomposition of a binary gamble of a gain and a loss into two unitary gambles in which one consequence of each gamble is no change from the status quo.
Post-scan ratings of valence, arousal, and perceived risk were collected for each gamble type.
However, in Block 2 each gamble is now described as a loss rather than a gain.
To separately examine the influence of each gamble on activation in each region, VOI time courses were averaged into four conditions representing each type of gamble (i.e., Low-Variance, High-Variance, Negative-Skew, and Positive-Skew).
Ratings indexed affective arousal and valence, as well as perceived risk during the anticipation phase of each gamble (first 4 seconds of a trial).
In the present study, nineteen subjects participated in a gambling game while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), and subsequently indicated their affective reactions to and preferences for each gamble.
Different from study 1, in each gamble the 4 possible outcomes resulted from paired combinations of 200, 50, −50 and −200 (arbitrary units), associated with only 3 different levels of probability 25-755, 50-50, 75-25).
In this study, participants rated their emotional response to the outcome of each gamble.
Both animals received extensive training with >10,000 trials in each gamble.
