Are the carrot and the stick the two sides of same coin? A neural examination of approach/avoidance motivation during cognitive performance

Sanaâ Belayachi; Steve Majerus; Guido Gendolla; Eric Salmon; Frédéric Peters; Martial Van der Linden

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.042

Are the carrot and the stick the two sides of same coin? A neural examination of approach/avoidance motivation during cognitive performance

Behav Brain Res. 2015 Oct 15:293:217-26. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.042. Epub 2015 Jul 23.

Authors

Sanaâ Belayachi¹, Steve Majerus², Guido Gendolla³, Eric Salmon⁴, Frédéric Peters⁵, Martial Van der Linden⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuropsychology Unit, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, Cognition & Behavior, Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium; Fund for Scientific Research - FNRS, Belgium. Electronic address: sanaa.belayachi@ulg.ac.be.
² Department of Psychology, Cognition & Behavior, Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium; Fund for Scientific Research - FNRS, Belgium; Cyclotron Research Center, Université de Liège, Belgium.
³ Department of Psychology, Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, Geneva Motivation Lab, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Cyclotron Research Center, Université de Liège, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Cognition & Behavior, Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium; Fund for Scientific Research - FNRS, Belgium.
⁶ Department of Psychology, Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuropsychology Unit, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, Cognition & Behavior, Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium.

PMID: 26213335
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.042

Abstract

The present study examined neural circuit activity in a working memory (WM) task under conditions of approach and avoidance motivation. Eighteen participants were scanned with functional MRI while they performed a 3-back WM task under three conditions: in an avoidance condition incorrect responses were punished with monetary loss; in an approach condition correct responses were rewarded with monetary gain; in a neutral control condition there was no monetary incentive. Compared with the control condition, activation in fronto-parietal areas - which are associated with WM processing - was increased in both the approach and avoidance conditions. The results suggest that both approach and avoidance motivation increase task-related cognitive activation.

Keywords: Approach and avoidance motivation; Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Working memory.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Avoidance Learning / physiology*
Brain / blood supply
Brain / physiology*
Brain Mapping*
Cognition / physiology*
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory, Short-Term / physiology
Motivation / physiology*
Neuropsychological Tests
Oxygen / blood
Reward*
Young Adult

Substances

Oxygen