Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Institute of Risk and Uncertainty, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Psychophysiology. 2023 Sep;60(9):e14313. doi: 10.1111/psyp.14313. Epub 2023 Apr 19.
Vickrey auctions (VA) and Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auctions (BDM) are strategically equivalent demand-revealing mechanisms, differentiated only by a human opponent in the VA, and a random-number-generator opponent in the BDM. Game parameters are such that players are incentivized to reveal their private subjective values (SV) and behavior should be identical in both tasks. However, this has been repeatedly shown not to be the case. In this study, the neural correlates of outcome feedback processing during VA and BDM were directly compared using electroencephalography. Twenty-eight healthy participants bid for household products which were then divided into high- and low-SV categories. The VA included a human opponent deception to induce a social environment, while in reality a random-number-generator was used in both tasks. A P3 component peaking at 336 ms over midline parietal sites showed more positive amplitudes for high bid values, and for win outcomes in the VA but not the BDM. Both auctions also elicited a Reward Positivity potential, maximal at 275 ms along the central midline electrodes, that was not modulated by auction task or SV. Further, an exploratory N170 potential in the right occipitotemporal electrodes and a vertex positive potential component were stronger in the VA relative to the BDM. Results point to an enhanced cortical response to bid outcomes during VA task in a potential component associated with emotional control, and to the occurrence of face-sensitive potentials in VA but not in BDM auction. These findings suggest modulation of bid outcome processing by the social-competitive aspect of auction tasks. Directly comparing two prominent auction paradigms affords the opportunity to isolate the impact of social environment on competitive, risky decision-making. Findings suggest that feedback processing as early as 176 ms is facilitated by the presence of a human competitor, and later processing is modulated by social context and subjective value.
维克瑞拍卖（VA）和贝克尔-德格鲁特-马沙克拍卖（BDM）是策略等效的需求揭示机制，仅在 VA 中有一个人类对手，而在 BDM 中有一个随机数生成器对手。游戏参数使得参与者有动机揭示他们的私人主观价值（SV），并且在这两种任务中的行为应该是相同的。然而，这已经被反复证明并非如此。在这项研究中，使用脑电图直接比较了 VA 和 BDM 中结果反馈处理的神经相关性。28 名健康参与者竞标家庭用品，然后将其分为高 SV 和低 SV 两类。VA 包括一个人类对手的欺骗，以诱导社交环境，而实际上在两个任务中都使用了随机数生成器。在中线顶区的 P3 成分在 336ms 处达到峰值，对于高出价值和 VA 中的胜利结果，其正波幅更大，但在 BDM 中则不然。两个拍卖也引发了一个奖励正性电位，在中央中线电极处的最大值为 275ms，这不受拍卖任务或 SV 的调节。此外，在右侧枕颞电极中的一个探索性 N170 电位和一个顶点正电位成分在 VA 中比在 BDM 中更强。结果表明，在 VA 任务中，出价结果的皮层反应增强，可能与情绪控制有关，并且在 VA 中出现了对人脸敏感的电位，但在 BDM 拍卖中则没有。这些发现表明，拍卖任务的社会竞争方面会调节出价结果的处理。直接比较两种著名的拍卖范式，有机会隔离社会环境对竞争、冒险决策的影响。研究结果表明，早在 176ms 时，人类竞争对手的存在就促进了反馈处理，而后期处理则受到社会环境和主观价值的调节。
