Differential Neural Correlates of Perceived and Predicted Social Feedback

Poster Session B - Sunday, April 14, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Ga In Shin¹, Camille R. Johnston¹, Megan Quarmley¹, Johanna M. Jarcho¹, Vishnu P. Murty¹; ¹Temple University

In this study, we investigated brain regions involved in supporting memory for perceived and predicted social feedback, differentiating between actual feedback received and feedback participants believed they had received. Our hypothesis suggested that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and hippocampus would exhibit patterns supporting perceived social feedback memory due to schema-based enhancement, while the ventral striatum would not show such patterns. Utilizing parametric regression analysis, we examined six independent variables: memory for selected faces, memory for non-selected faces, actual social feedback received, perceived feedback, predicted feedback, and the magnitude of bias. Functional MRI data from the encoding phase revealed activations in the perirhinal cortex associated with the magnitude of bias, alongside activations in the ventral striatum linked to predicted feedback response. These results imply that while the vmPFC and hippocampus may facilitate memory processes concerning perceived social feedback, the ventral striatum is predominantly involved in processing predicted feedback responses. The involvement of the perirhinal cortex suggests that social feedback memory during this phase might not involve hippocampal processing but instead rely on other mechanisms, possibly within the perirhinal cortex. These outcomes support our hypothesis regarding the distinct roles of brain regions in differentiating between memory for perceived and predicted social feedback, with the ventral striatum playing a significant role in processing predicted feedback responses. This study enhances our understanding of the neural underpinnings of social feedback processing and memory, contributing to the broader comprehension of social cognition and its neural substrates.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotion-cognition interactions