Evaluating ambivalence: social-cognitive and affective brain regions associated with ambivalent decision-making

Hannah U Nohlen; Frenk van Harreveld; Mark Rotteveel; Gert-Jan Lelieveld; Eveline A Crone

doi:10.1093/scan/nst074

Evaluating ambivalence: social-cognitive and affective brain regions associated with ambivalent decision-making

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014 Jul;9(7):924-31. doi: 10.1093/scan/nst074. Epub 2013 May 17.

Authors

Hannah U Nohlen¹, Frenk van Harreveld², Mark Rotteveel², Gert-Jan Lelieveld³, Eveline A Crone⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands h.u.nohlen@uva.nl.
² Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands, and Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Ambivalence is a state of inconsistency that is often experienced as affectively aversive. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated the role of cognitive and social-affective processes in the experience of ambivalence and coping with its negative consequences. We examined participants' brain activity during the dichotomous evaluation (pro vs contra) of pretested ambivalent (e.g. alcohol), positive (e.g. happiness) and negative (e.g. genocide) word stimuli. We manipulated evaluation relevance by varying the probability of evaluation consequences, under the hypothesis that ambivalence is experienced as more negative when outcomes are relevant. When making ambivalent evaluations, more activity was found in the anterior cingulate cortex, the insula, the temporal parietal junction (TPJ) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, for both high and low evaluation relevance. After statistically conservative corrections, activity in the TPJ and PCC/precuneus was negatively correlated with experienced ambivalence after scanning, as measured by Priester and Petty's felt ambivalence scale (1996). The findings show that cognitive and social-affective brain areas are involved in the experience of ambivalence. However, these networks are differently associated with subsequent reduction of ambivalence, thus highlighting the importance of understanding both cognitive and affective processes involved in ambivalent decision-making.

Keywords: ambivalence; coping behavior; decision-making; fMRI; social-affective network.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological / physiology
Adolescent
Adult
Brain / physiology*
Brain Mapping
Cognition / physiology*
Decision Making / physiology*
Emotions / physiology*
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Neural Pathways / physiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology
Psycholinguistics
Reading
Social Perception
Young Adult