Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-8-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Alberto Del Arco
Second Advisor
David Harrison
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Perceived control is defined as the belief that one’s actions can influence the outcomes in the environment. It plays an important role in decision-making, motivation, and emotional regulation. Previous studies suggest that perceived control shapes how the brain processes both reward and punishment stimuli. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this process are still unclear. The present study examined the neurophysiological correlates of perceived control during a decision-making task. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record the neural activity of twenty-nine undergraduate students while they completed the Choice Task. Participants associated visual cues with different levels of control over trials involving monetary gains and losses. Behavioral performance was assessed through reaction time (RT), and neural activity was analyzed using event-related potentials (ERPs), focusing on the P300 component at the Cz and Pz electrode sites. Results showed that participants reported significantly higher perceived control in the high control condition and demonstrated faster RTs during high control and reward conditions compared to low- and moderate-control conditions. However, P300 amplitudes did not significantly differ across perceived control conditions, despite clear behavioral differences. These findings suggest that perceived control influences behavioral aspects of decision making without substantially altering attentional neural processes reflected in the P300 component. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of how perceived control modulates human behavior and provides insight into the neural mechanisms involved in decision-making processes.
Recommended Citation
Staehling, Megan, "Neurophysiological Signatures of Perceived Control in the Human Brain: An Electroencephalography Study" (2026). Honors Theses. 3534.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3534