Social distance modulates the process of uncertain decision-making: Evidence from event-related potentials

Abstract

Purpose: Social distance affects risk perception in uncertain decision-making, but how this effect works and the mechanism of how social distance influences the early processing stages of uncertain decision-making are still unclear. This investigation aimed to explore how social distance influences risk-taking during uncertain decision-making using the Iowa Gambling Task with recording of event-related potentials. Methods: A total of 57 healthy subjects (36 female) participated in the modified singlechoice Iowa Gambling Task when they gambled based on three quantified social distances (self, friend, and stranger). The social distance between participant and beneficiary was quantified on a scale of 0-100 points, with 0 representing self, 5 representing a close friend, and 100 representing a stranger. Results: Three stages of uncertain decision-making were analyzed. Behavioral results showed that social distance worked interactively with choice frame, and high social distance made people choose a more advantageous deck and a less disadvantageous deck than low social distance. The P300 in the choice-evaluation stage, which reflects stimulus discrimination, directly proved this result by showing that gambling for a stranger caused higher P300 when evaluating an advantageous deck and lower P300 when evaluating a disadvantageous deck than for others. Decision preceding negativity in the response-selection stage represents the anticipation of risky choices: this was larger with high social distance when choosing a disadvantageous deck. Feedback-related negativity and feedback-related P300 had motivational significance, showing smaller amplitudes when gambling for a stranger than for oneself. Conclusion: These results provide evidence that social distance works interactively with choice frames of uncertain decision-making. People at high social distance are more risktaking in an advantageous frame and more risk-avoid ant in a disadvantageous frame.