{‘authors’: ‘Spreckelmeyer, K. N., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Rademacher, L., Irmak, A., Konrad, K., Kircher, T., & Gründer, G.’, ‘year’: 2009, ‘title’: ‘Anticipation of monetary and social reward differently activates mesolimbic brain structures in men and women’, ‘venue’: ‘Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘4’, ‘issue’: ‘2’, ‘pages’: ‘158-165’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1093/scan/nsn051’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Spreckelmeyer, K. N., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Rademacher, L., Irmak, A., Konrad, K., … & Gründer, G. (2009). Anticipation of monetary and social reward differently activates mesolimbic brain structures in men and women. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 4(2), 158–165.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsn051’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Rademacher, L., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Irmak, A., Gründer, G., & Spreckelmeyer, K. N.’, ‘year’: 2010, ‘title’: ‘Dissociation of neural networks for anticipation and consumption of monetary and social rewards’, ‘venue’: ‘NeuroImage’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘NeuroImage’, ‘volume’: ‘49’, ‘issue’: ‘4’, ‘pages’: ‘3276-3285’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.10.089’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Rademacher, L., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Irmak, A., Gründer, G., & Spreckelmeyer, K. N. (2010). Dissociation of neural networks for anticipation and consumption of monetary and social rewards. NeuroImage, 49(4), 3276–3285.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.10.089’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Kohls, G., Perino, M. T., Taylor, J. M., Madva, E. N., Cayless, S. J., Troiani, V., Price, E., Faja, S., Herrington, J. D., & Schultz, R. T.’, ‘year’: 2013, ‘title’: ‘The nucleus accumbens is involved in both the pursuit of social reward and the avoidance of social punishment’, ‘venue’: ‘Neuropsychologia’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Neuropsychologia’, ‘volume’: ‘51’, ‘issue’: ‘11’, ‘pages’: ‘2062-2069’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.07.020’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Kohls, G., Perino, M. T., Taylor, J. M., Madva, E. N., Cayber, S. J., Troiani, V., … & Schultz, R. T. (2013). The nucleus accumbens is involved in both the pursuit of social reward and the avoidance of social punishment. Neuropsychologia, 51(11), 2062–2069.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.07.020’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
Social Incentive Delay Task¶
HED Task ID:
hedtsk_social_incentive_delayAlso known as: SID, Social Incentive Delay
MID variant in which cues predict potential social (smiling/frowning face) rather than monetary outcomes; indexes social reward anticipation.
Description¶
The Social Incentive Delay Task is a variant of the Monetary Incentive Delay Task (Task 63) that replaces monetary outcomes with social rewards and punishments. Cues signal the potential for positive social feedback (e.g., a smiling face with a thumbs-up), negative social feedback (e.g., a frowning face with a thumbs-down), or neutral outcomes. Participants then respond to a target stimulus, and outcome delivery depends on response speed. The SID was developed to compare the neural substrates of social versus non-social reward anticipation and consumption, testing whether social rewards engage the same striatal dopaminergic circuitry as monetary rewards. The task has been particularly impactful in autism spectrum disorder research, where reduced social reward sensitivity is hypothesized.
Inclusion test¶
Procedure
Cues signal potential social reward (smiling face), social non-reward (neutral face), or control (geometric shape). After a delay, participants respond to a target; outcome is contingent on response speed.
Manipulation
Cue type (social reward, social non-reward, non-social control); target duration (titrated); reward magnitude.
Measurement
RT by cue type; fMRI ventral striatum activation; comparison of social vs. monetary reward anticipation signals.
Variations¶
Variation
Description
Justification
Standard SID (Smiling Face Reward)
Happy face/approval cue as social reward; frowning face as social punishment.
Canonical SID with face as social incentive
SID with Personalized Social Stimuli
Faces of familiar people (peers, family) as reward stimuli.
Stimuli customized to individual’s social network; different stimulus content
SID vs. MID within-Subjects
Both social and monetary versions in the same scanning session for direct comparison.
Both social and monetary incentives in same session; direct contrast paradigm
SID with Graded Social Reward
Different intensities of social feedback (mild smile vs. enthusiastic approval).
Multiple social reward magnitudes; tests social reward sensitivity
SID with Real Social Interaction
Social reward delivered by actual experimenters or confederates.
Actual social partner rather than photograph; different social context
Cognitive processes¶
This task engages the following cognitive processes:
Reward anticipation
Social perception
Incentive salience
Approach motivation
Key references¶
{‘authors’: ‘Spreckelmeyer, K. N., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Rademacher, L., Irmak, A., Konrad, K., Kircher, T., & Gründer, G.’, ‘year’: 2009, ‘title’: ‘Anticipation of monetary and social reward differently activates mesolimbic brain structures in men and women’, ‘venue’: ‘Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘4’, ‘issue’: ‘2’, ‘pages’: ‘158-165’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1093/scan/nsn051’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Spreckelmeyer, K. N., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Rademacher, L., Irmak, A., Konrad, K., … & Gründer, G. (2009). Anticipation of monetary and social reward differently activates mesolimbic brain structures in men and women. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 4(2), 158–165.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsn051’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Rademacher, L., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Irmak, A., Gründer, G., & Spreckelmeyer, K. N.’, ‘year’: 2010, ‘title’: ‘Dissociation of neural networks for anticipation and consumption of monetary and social rewards’, ‘venue’: ‘NeuroImage’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘NeuroImage’, ‘volume’: ‘49’, ‘issue’: ‘4’, ‘pages’: ‘3276-3285’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.10.089’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Rademacher, L., Krach, S., Kohls, G., Irmak, A., Gründer, G., & Spreckelmeyer, K. N. (2010). Dissociation of neural networks for anticipation and consumption of monetary and social rewards. NeuroImage, 49(4), 3276–3285.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.10.089’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Kohls, G., Perino, M. T., Taylor, J. M., Madva, E. N., Cayless, S. J., Troiani, V., Price, E., Faja, S., Herrington, J. D., & Schultz, R. T.’, ‘year’: 2013, ‘title’: ‘The nucleus accumbens is involved in both the pursuit of social reward and the avoidance of social punishment’, ‘venue’: ‘Neuropsychologia’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Neuropsychologia’, ‘volume’: ‘51’, ‘issue’: ‘11’, ‘pages’: ‘2062-2069’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.07.020’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Kohls, G., Perino, M. T., Taylor, J. M., Madva, E. N., Cayber, S. J., Troiani, V., … & Schultz, R. T. (2013). The nucleus accumbens is involved in both the pursuit of social reward and the avoidance of social punishment. Neuropsychologia, 51(11), 2062–2069.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.07.020’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
Recent references¶
{‘authors’: ‘Flores, L. E., Eckstrand, K. L., Silk, J. S., Allen, N. B., Ambrosia, M., Healey, K. L., & Forbes, E. E.’, ‘year’: 2018, ‘title’: ‘Adolescents’ neural response to social reward and real-world emotional closeness and positive affect’, ‘venue’: ‘Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘18’, ‘issue’: ‘4’, ‘pages’: ‘705-717’, ‘doi’: ‘10.3758/s13415-018-0598-0’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: “Flores, L. E., Jr., Eckstrand, K. L., Silk, J. S., Allen, N. B., Ambrosia, M., Healey, K. L., & Forbes, E. E. (2018). Adolescents’ neural response to social reward and real-world emotional closeness and positive affect. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 18(5), 705–717.”, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0598-0’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘White, S. W., Mazefsky, C. A., Dichter, G. S., Chiu, P. H., Richey, J. A., & Ollendick, T. H.’, ‘year’: 2014, ‘title’: ‘Social‐cognitive, physiological, and neural mechanisms underlying emotion regulation impairments: understanding anxiety in autism spectrum disorder’, ‘venue’: ‘International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘39’, ‘issue’: ‘1’, ‘pages’: ‘22-36’, ‘doi’: ‘10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.05.012’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Richey, J. A., Rittenberg, A., Hughes, L., Damiano, C. R., Sabatino, A., Miller, S., … & Dichter, G. S. (2014). Common and distinct neural features of social and non-social reward processing in autism and social anxiety disorder. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(3), 367–377.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.05.012’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}
{‘authors’: ‘Cremers, H. R., Veer, I. M., Spinhoven, P., Rombouts, S. A. R. B., & Roelofs, K.’, ‘year’: 2015, ‘title’: ‘Neural sensitivity to social reward and punishment anticipation in social anxiety disorder’, ‘venue’: ‘Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience’, ‘venue_type’: ‘journal’, ‘journal’: ‘Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience’, ‘volume’: ‘8’, ‘issue’: None, ‘pages’: None, ‘doi’: ‘10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00439’, ‘openalex_id’: None, ‘pmid’: None, ‘citation_string’: ‘Cremers, H. R., Veer, I. M., Spinhoven, P., Rombouts, S. A. R. B., & Roelofs, K. (2015). Neural sensitivity to social reward and punishment anticipation in social anxiety disorder. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 8, 439.’, ‘url’: ‘https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00439’, ‘source’: ‘crossref’, ‘confidence’: ‘high’, ‘verified_on’: ‘2026-04-20’}