# Frontal EEG Asymmetry and Attachment Style During Sequential Decision-Making in the Secretary Problem

## TL;DR

This study explores how brain activity during decision-making under uncertainty relates to attachment styles, suggesting that individual differences in emotional regulation may influence neural patterns.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel link between frontal EEG asymmetry and attachment style during sequential decision-making tasks.

## Key findings

- Insecure and secure participants showed different frontal EEG asymmetry patterns during decision phases.
- Longer deliberation was associated with increased left-frontal activation at the moment of choice.
- Frontal asymmetry may serve as a dynamic marker of internal regulation during sequential decisions.

## Abstract

Sequential decisions often unfold under uncertainty, requiring people to evaluate options one at a time and commit without the possibility of returning to earlier choices. Although such situations appear neutral on the surface, they engage emotional and regulatory processes that vary across individuals. This study examined whether frontal EEG asymmetry during the classic secretary problem is associated with attachment style. Twenty-seven participants completed a sequential decision-making task while EEG was recorded, and analyses focused on asymmetry at frontal sites. Asymmetry was extracted at three points in each decision sequence (start, middle, final), and additional regressions assessed whether deliberation length was related to asymmetry at the moment of choice. Insecure and secure participants showed different patterns of asymmetry across phases, and longer deliberation was linked to greater left-frontal activation. These associations suggest that individual differences related to attachment may be reflected in neural engagement even in abstract, non-emotional tasks. The findings point to frontal asymmetry as a potential dynamic marker of internal regulation during sequential choices and should be interpreted as exploratory.