EEG Study of Decision-Making in Uncertain and Risky Situations via a Gamified Environment

In this paper we study brain processes underlying decision-making and risk management in a gamified environment. The authors conducted an experiment, gathering 128-channel EEG data of 27 participants playing a virtual game of ball catching, involving active decision making in a risky situation. The EEG data of 16 participants were preprocessed using an automated pipeline, then ERPs were computed and analyzed for two conditions: success and failure (at each ball catching round). The spatiotemporal permutation cluster test showed two significant clusters of electrodes, the first of which is possibly related to the N400 ERP component and the second one to the late negative or positive potential. The results showed a statistically significant difference in participants' reaction to failure and success in a gamified environment, which further confirms the usefulness of such methods in neuroeconomic studies of decision-making and in neuroscience of cognition in general.