Externally Provided Rewards Increase Internal Preference, but Not as Much as Preferred Ones Without Extrinsic Rewards

Abstract

AbstractIt is well known that preferences are formed through choices, known as choice-induced preference change (CIPC). However, whether value learned through externally provided rewards influences the preferences formed through CIPC remains unclear. To address this issue, we used tasks for decision-making guided by reward provided by the external environment (externally guided decision-making; EDM) and for decision-making guided by one’s internal preference (internally guided decision-making; IDM). In the IDM task, we presented stimuli with learned value in the EDM and novel stimuli to examine whether the value in the EDM affects preferences. Stimuli reinforced by rewards given in the EDM were reflected in the IDM’s initial preference and further increased through CIPC in the IDM. However, such stimuli were not as strongly preferred as the most preferred novel stimulus in the IDM (superiority of intrinsically learned values; SIV), suggesting that the values learned by the EDM and IDM differ. The underlying process of this phenomenon is discussed in terms of the fundamental self-hypothesis.