Trait Anticipatory Pleasure (but not Consummatory Pleasure) predicts reward directed behaviour and an EEG index of dopamine signalling

The Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scales (TEPS; Gard et al., 2006) consists of an Anticipatory Pleasure scale (concerning approach motivation and reward anticipation) and a Consummatory Pleasure scale (concerning pleasure and reward consummation). Our first experiment shows that Anticipatory Pleasure (but not Consummatory Pleasure) predicts the willingness to expend effort to obtain uncertain reward (assessed using the Effort Expenditure for Reward Task or EEfRT; Treadway et al., 2009). Our second experiment shows that Anticipatory Pleasure (but not Consummatory Pleasure) predicts an EEG index of dopaminergic signalling of ‘reward prediction error’. In both experiments, conceptually similar personality scales showed similar diverging relationships with our behavioural and neural criteria. Findings support the validity of the Trait Anticipatory Pleasure scale, and confirm that the two TEPS scales diverge in their relationships with indices of reward responsiveness.