Individual Differences in Achievement Goal Orientation Predict Neural Responses to Negative Feedback

<p>Negative feedback is seldom welcomed and often avoided. Whether through verbal critiques, poor exam grades, or non-verbal cues, negative feedback is a tool commonly used by educators to identify errors and areas needing improvement. However, negative feedback can induce negative emotions and is known to decrease activity in the ventral striatum (VS), a key structure in the brain’s reward system. Despite this, previous research has shown that VS activation to negative feedback can meaningfully shift based on contextual and motivational factors. In the present study, we sought to determine whether individual differences in approach and avoidance goals are motivational factors that meaningfully shift BOLD responses to feedback in the VS. To this end, following a competence threat, participants completed a word association learning task and received performance related feedback while undergoing fMRI scanning. We found that neural responses to negative feedback were significantly associated with approach goals. More specifically, we found that VS responses to negative feedback, which typically dip below baseline, were less negative for individuals higher in approach goals. These results suggest that individual differences in achievement goals can interact with contextual factors to influence how negative feedback is viewed, whether instructive or punitive, and that these responses can be reflected in the striatum.</p>