| This research examines the links among intense, affect-laden experiences of romantic passion (a.k.a attachment anxiety; see Eastwick & Finkel, 2008), uncertainty in partner responsiveness, and prediction-error in expectations about partner reciprocity. This examination was carried out at the psychological level (i.e. affect, beliefs) and at the neurological level, focusing on error-prediction signals in the mesocorticolimbic reward system (see Schultz, 1998; D'Ardenne, 2008). Previous research finds corollaries between passionate love (Hatfield & Walster, 1978) and activation in nuclei within this system (Bartels & Zeki, 2000; Aron et al., 2005). However, these endeavors have not captured the circumstances on which experiences of romantic passion hinge: uncertainty regarding the future of relationships and the likelihood that partners will reciprocate romantic sentiment. The present study used data regarding participants' accuracy in their expectations for their partners' responsiveness (predictive accuracy) and a prediction-error task that either confirmed these expectations or violated them (prediction-error). Findings show that predictive accuracy was inversely related to relationship-specific attachment anxiety and positively related to notions of trust and intimacy. Positive, or appetitive prediction-error events were associated with VTA activity and positive affect. Yet, negative, or aversive, prediction-errors were associated with activity in the posterior ventral striatum and negative affect. Furthermore, activity in the anterior ventral striatum was positively related to attachment anxiety. Taken together, this research suggests that experiences of romantic passion may emerge from prediction-error signals within the reward system. Given that the latter are critical in associative learning, these findings suggest that romantic passion may serve more than a drive-related function as previously suggested (Fisher, 2004). They may also be involved in associative learning for partner responsiveness contingencies, which provide the foundation for notions of attachment security, trust, and intimacy. |
