Negative reinforcement processes allow individuals to avoid negative and/or harmful outcomes. They depend on the brain’s ability to differentiate; (i) contingency from non-contingency, separately from (ii) judgements about positive and negative valence. Thirty-three males (8–18 years) performed a cued reaction-time task during fMRI scanning to differentiate the brain’s responses to contingency and valence during loss avoidance. In two conditions, cues indicated no -contingency between participants’ responses and monetary loss – (1) CERTAIN LOSS (negative valence) of €0.20, €1 or €5 or (2) CERTAIN LOSS AVOIDANCE (positive valence). In a third condition, cues indicated a contingency between short reaction times and avoidance of monetary loss. As expected participants had shorter reaction times in this latter condition where CONDITIONAL LOSS AVOIDANCE cues activated salience and motor-response-preparation brain networks - independent of the relative valence of the contrast (CERTAIN LOSS or CERTAIN LOSS AVOIDANCE). Effects of valence were seen toward the session’s end where CERTAIN LOSS AVOIDANCE cues activated ventral striatum, medial-orbitofrontal cortex and medial-temporal areas more than CERTAIN LOSS. CONDITIONAL LOSS AVOIDANCE trials with feedback indicating “success” activated ventral striatum more than “failure feedback”. The findings support the hypothesis that brain networks controlling contingency and valence processes during negative reinforcement are dissociable.

负强化过程使个人可以避免负面和/或有害的结果。它们取决于大脑的分化能力。（i）偶然性与非偶然性，与（ii）关于正价和负价的判断分开。33名男性（8至18岁）在功能磁共振成像扫描中执行了提示性的反应时间任务，以区分避免损失过程中大脑对偶然性和价态的反应。在两种情况下，提示表明参与者的响应与金钱损失之间没有意外情况-（1）某些损失（负价）为0.20欧元，1欧元或5欧元，或者（2）某些损失避免（正价）。在第三个条件下，提示表明在较短的反应时间和避免金钱损失之间存在偶然性。不出所料，参与者在后一种情况下的反应时间更短，在这种情况下，条件损失回避提示激活了显着性和运动反应准备脑网络-与对比的相对价无关（某些损失或某些损失的避免）。在会议结束时可以看到价效，其中CERTAIN LOSS AVOIDANCE提示比CERTAIN LOSS更多地激活了腹侧纹状体，眶眶额皮质和颞内侧区域。有条件的损失回避试验的反馈表明，“成功”激活的腹侧纹状体比“失败反馈”更多。这些发现支持了这样的假说，即负强化过程中​​控制应变和价过程的大脑网络是不可分离的。