1
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Saulin A, Ma Y, Hein G. Empathy incites a stable prosocial decision bias. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae272. [PMID: 38970361 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Empathy toward suffering individuals serves as potent driver for prosocial behavior. However, it remains unclear whether prosociality induced by empathy for another person's pain persists once that person's suffering diminishes. To test this, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a binary social decision task that involved allocation of points to themselves and another person. In block one, participants completed the task after witnessing frequent painful stimulation of the other person, and in block two, after observing low frequency of painful stimulation. Drift-diffusion modeling revealed an increased initial bias toward making prosocial decisions in the first block compared with baseline that persisted in the second block. These results were replicated in an independent behavioral study. An additional control study showed that this effect may be specific to empathy as stability was not evident when prosocial decisions were driven by a social norm such as reciprocity. Increased neural activation in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex was linked to empathic concern after witnessing frequent pain and to a general prosocial decision bias after witnessing rare pain. Altogether, our findings show that empathy for pain elicits a stable inclination toward making prosocial decisions even as their suffering diminishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Saulin
- Department of Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, University Hospital Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Yina Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning; IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Xinjiekouwai St, Haidan District, Beijing 100875, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Yike Rd, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Grit Hein
- Department of Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, University Hospital Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
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2
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de Groot ECS, Hofmans L, van den Bos W. Brain structure correlates of social information use: an exploratory machine learning approach. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1383630. [PMID: 39015824 PMCID: PMC11250561 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1383630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Individual differences in social learning impact many important decisions, from voting behavior to polarization. Prior research has found that there are consistent and stable individual differences in social information use. However, the underlying mechanisms of these individual differences are still poorly understood. Methods We used two complementary exploratory machine learning approaches to identify brain volumes related to individual differences in social information use. Results and discussion Using lasso regression and random forest regression we were able to capture linear and non-linear brain-behavior relationships. Consistent with previous studies, our results suggest there is a robust positive relationship between the volume of the left pars triangularis and social information use. Moreover, our results largely overlap with common social brain network regions, such as the medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus, temporal parietal junction, and anterior cingulate cortex. Besides, our analyses also revealed several novel regions related to individual differences in social information use, such as the postcentral gyrus, the left caudal middle frontal gyrus, the left pallidum, and the entorhinal cortex. Together, these results provide novel insights into the neural mechanisms that underly individual differences in social learning and provide important new leads for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esra Cemre Su de Groot
- Web Information Systems, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
- Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lieke Hofmans
- Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
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3
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Çakar T, Son-Turan S, Girişken Y, Sayar A, Ertuğrul S, Filiz G, Tuna E. Unlocking the neural mechanisms of consumer loan evaluations: an fNIRS and ML-based consumer neuroscience study. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1286918. [PMID: 38375365 PMCID: PMC10875049 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1286918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction This study conducts a comprehensive exploration of the neurocognitive processes underlying consumer credit decision-making using cutting-edge techniques from neuroscience and machine learning (ML). Employing functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), the research examines the hemodynamic responses of participants while evaluating diverse credit offers. Methods The experimental phase of this study investigates the hemodynamic responses collected from 39 healthy participants with respect to different loan offers. This study integrates fNIRS data with advanced ML algorithms, specifically Extreme Gradient Boosting, CatBoost, Extra Tree Classifier, and Light Gradient Boosted Machine, to predict participants' credit decisions based on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation patterns. Results Findings reveal distinctive PFC regions correlating with credit behaviors, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) associated with strategic decision-making, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) linked to emotional valuations, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) reflecting brand integration and reward processing. Notably, the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the right vmPFC contribute to positive credit preferences. Discussion This interdisciplinary approach bridges neuroscience, machine learning and finance, offering unprecedented insights into the neural mechanisms guiding financial choices regarding different loan offers. The study's predictive model holds promise for refining financial services and illuminating human financial behavior within the burgeoning field of neurofinance. The work exemplifies the potential of interdisciplinary research to enhance our understanding of human financial decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuna Çakar
- Department of Computer Engineering, MEF University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Semen Son-Turan
- Department of Business Administration, MEF University, Maslak, Türkiye
| | - Yener Girişken
- Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Final International University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Alperen Sayar
- Informatics Technologies Master Program, MEF University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Seyit Ertuğrul
- Informatics Technologies Master Program, MEF University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Gözde Filiz
- Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D. Program, MEF University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Esin Tuna
- Department of Psychology, MEF University, Istanbul, Türkiye
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4
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Jamieson AJ, Harrison BJ, Delahoy R, Schmaal L, Felmingham KL, Phillips L, Davey CG. A brain model of altered self-appraisal in social anxiety disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:344. [PMID: 37951951 PMCID: PMC10640593 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02644-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain's default mode network has a central role in the processing of information concerning oneself. Dysfunction in this self-referential processing represents a key component of multiple mental health conditions, particularly social anxiety disorder (SAD). This case-control study aimed to clarify alterations to network dynamics present during self-appraisal in SAD participants. A total of 38 adolescents and young adults with SAD and 72 healthy control participants underwent a self-referential processing fMRI task. The task involved two primary conditions of interest: direct self-appraisal (thinking about oneself) and reflected self-appraisal (thinking about how others might think about oneself). Dynamic causal modeling and parametric empirical Bayes were then used to explore differences in the effective connectivity of the default mode network between groups. We observed connectivity differences between SAD and healthy control participants in the reflected self-appraisal but not the direct self-appraisal condition. Specifically, SAD participants exhibited greater excitatory connectivity from the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and greater inhibitory connectivity from the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) to MPFC. In contrast, SAD participants exhibited reduced intrinsic connectivity in the absence of task modulation. This was illustrated by reduced excitatory connectivity from the PCC to MPFC and reduced inhibitory connectivity from the IPL to MPFC. As such, participants with SAD showed changes to afferent connections to the MPFC which occurred during both reflected self-appraisal as well as intrinsically. The presence of connectivity differences in reflected and not direct self-appraisal is consistent with the characteristic fear of negative social evaluation that is experienced by people with SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec J Jamieson
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Rebekah Delahoy
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lianne Schmaal
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Kim L Felmingham
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lisa Phillips
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Christopher G Davey
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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5
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Pisauro MA, Fouragnan EF, Arabadzhiyska DH, Apps MAJ, Philiastides MG. Neural implementation of computational mechanisms underlying the continuous trade-off between cooperation and competition. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6873. [PMID: 36369180 PMCID: PMC9652314 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34509-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions evolve continuously. Sometimes we cooperate, sometimes we compete, while at other times we strategically position ourselves somewhere in between to account for the ever-changing social contexts around us. Research on social interactions often focuses on a binary dichotomy between competition and cooperation, ignoring people's evolving shifts along a continuum. Here, we develop an economic game - the Space Dilemma - where two players change their degree of cooperativeness over time in cooperative and competitive contexts. Using computational modelling we show how social contexts bias choices and characterise how inferences about others' intentions modulate cooperativeness. Consistent with the modelling predictions, brain regions previously linked to social cognition, including the temporo-parietal junction, dorso-medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate gyrus, encode social prediction errors and context-dependent signals, correlating with shifts along a cooperation-competition continuum. These results provide a comprehensive account of the computational and neural mechanisms underlying the continuous trade-off between cooperation and competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Pisauro
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - E F Fouragnan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- Brain Research Imaging Center and School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - D H Arabadzhiyska
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - M A J Apps
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - M G Philiastides
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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6
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Hofmans L, van den Bos W. Social learning across adolescence: A Bayesian neurocognitive perspective. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101151. [PMID: 36183664 PMCID: PMC9526184 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of social re-orientation in which we are generally more prone to peer influence and the updating of our beliefs based on social information, also called social learning, than in any other stage of our life. However, how do we know when to use social information and whose information to use and how does this ability develop across adolescence? Here, we review the social learning literature from a behavioral, neural and computational viewpoint, focusing on the development of brain systems related to executive functioning, value-based decision-making and social cognition. We put forward a Bayesian reinforcement learning framework that incorporates social learning about value associated with particular behavior and uncertainty in our environment and experiences. We discuss how this framework can inform us about developmental changes in social learning, including how the assessment of uncertainty and the ability to adaptively discriminate between information from different social sources change across adolescence. By combining reward-based decision-making in the domains of both informational and normative influence, this framework explains both negative and positive social peer influence in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieke Hofmans
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands,Correspondence to: Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, room G1.05, 1018WS Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands,Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands,Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
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7
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Horr NK, Han K, Mousavi B, Tang R. Neural Signature of Buying Decisions in Real-World Online Shopping Scenarios – An Exploratory Electroencephalography Study Series. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:797064. [PMID: 35237138 PMCID: PMC8882609 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.797064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural underpinnings of decision-making are critical to understanding and predicting human behavior. However, findings from decision neuroscience are limited in their practical applicability due to the gap between experimental decision-making paradigms and real-world choices. The present manuscript investigates the neural markers of buying decisions in a fully natural purchase setting: participants are asked to use their favorite online shopping applications to buy common goods they are currently in need of. Their electroencephalography (EEG) is recorded while they view the product page for each item. EEG responses to pages for products that are eventually bought are compared to those that are discarded. Study 1 repeats this procedure in three batches with different participants, product types, and time periods. In an explorative analysis, two neural markers for buying compared to no-buying decisions are discovered over all three batches: frontal alpha asymmetry peak and frontal theta power peak. Occipital alpha power at alpha asymmetry peaks differs in only one of the three batches. No further significant markers are found. Study 2 compares the natural product search to a design in which subjects are told which product pages to view. In both settings, the frontal alpha asymmetry peak is increased for buying decisions. Frontal theta peak increase is replicated only when subjects search through product pages by themselves. The present study series represents an attempt to find neural markers of real-world decisions in a fully natural environment and explore how those markers can change due to small adjustments for the sake of experimental control. Limitations and practical applicability of the real-world approach to studying decision-making are discussed.
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8
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Lee H, Chung D. Characterization of the Core Determinants of Social Influence From a Computational and Cognitive Perspective. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:846535. [PMID: 35509882 PMCID: PMC9059935 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.846535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Most human decisions are made among social others, and in what social context the choices are made is known to influence individuals' decisions. Social influence has been noted as an important factor that may nudge individuals to take more risks (e.g., initiation of substance use), but ironically also help individuals to take safer actions (e.g., successful abstinence). Such bi-directional impacts of social influence hint at the complexity of social information processing. Here, we first review the recent computational approaches that shed light on neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying social influence following basic computations involved in decision-making: valuation, action selection, and learning. We next review the studies on social influence from various fields including neuroeconomics, developmental psychology, social psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, and highlight three dimensions of determinants-who are the recipients, how the social contexts are presented, and to what domains and processes of decisions the influence is applied-that modulate the extent to which individuals are influenced by others. Throughout the review, we also introduce the brain regions that were suggested as neural instantiations of social influence from a large body of functional neuroimaging studies. Finally, we outline the remaining questions to be addressed in the translational application of computational and cognitive theories of social influence to psychopathology and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeji Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea.,Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Dongil Chung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, South Korea
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9
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Panizza F, Vostroknutov A, Coricelli G. How conformity can lead to polarised social behaviour. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009530. [PMID: 34669694 PMCID: PMC8559952 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning social behaviour of others strongly influences one’s own social attitudes. We compare several distinct explanations of this phenomenon, testing their predictions using computational modelling across four experimental conditions. In the experiment, participants chose repeatedly whether to pay for increasing (prosocial) or decreasing (antisocial) the earnings of an unknown other. Halfway through the task, participants predicted the choices of an extremely prosocial or antisocial agent (either a computer, a single participant, or a group of participants). Our analyses indicate that participants polarise their social attitude mainly due to normative expectations. Specifically, most participants conform to presumed demands by the authority (vertical influence), or because they learn that the observed human agents follow the norm very closely (horizontal influence). What drives people to extreme acts of generosity? What causes behaviour that is unduly spiteful? This study explored how our social decisions polarise. Participants chose whether to spend money to increase or decrease the earnings of an unknown person. Halfway through this task, they observed another agent playing. The agent took participants’ choices to the extremes: if for instance the participant was moderately generous, it spent considerable sums to help the other. Participants conformed regardless of whether the agent was a computer algorithm, a person, or a group of people. We tested several competing explanations of why this happened with the help of cognitive modelling. Our analyses identify two factors behind polarisation: willingness to comply with the experimenter expectations (social desirability), and concern about appropriate behaviour (norm conformity). Our approach provided insight into how social choices are influenced by others, and could be applied in the study of conformity in other types of decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Folco Panizza
- Molecular Mind Laboratory, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Mattarello (TN), Italy
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Giorgio Coricelli
- Department of Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- LaPsyDÉ, UMR CNRS 8240, La Sorbonne, Paris, France
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10
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Lockwood PL, Klein-Flügge MC. Computational modelling of social cognition and behaviour-a reinforcement learning primer. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:761-771. [PMID: 32232358 PMCID: PMC8343561 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Social neuroscience aims to describe the neural systems that underpin social cognition and behaviour. Over the past decade, researchers have begun to combine computational models with neuroimaging to link social computations to the brain. Inspired by approaches from reinforcement learning theory, which describes how decisions are driven by the unexpectedness of outcomes, accounts of the neural basis of prosocial learning, observational learning, mentalizing and impression formation have been developed. Here we provide an introduction for researchers who wish to use these models in their studies. We consider both theoretical and practical issues related to their implementation, with a focus on specific examples from the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L Lockwood
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
| | - Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PH, United Kingdom
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11
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McDonald KR, Pearson JM, Huettel SA. Dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex track distinct properties of dynamic social behavior. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:383-393. [PMID: 32382757 PMCID: PMC7308662 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how humans make competitive decisions in complex environments is a key goal of decision neuroscience. Typical experimental paradigms constrain behavioral complexity (e.g. choices in discrete-play games), and thus, the underlying neural mechanisms of dynamic social interactions remain incompletely understood. Here, we collected fMRI data while humans played a competitive real-time video game against both human and computer opponents, and then, we used Bayesian non-parametric methods to link behavior to neural mechanisms. Two key cognitive processes characterized behavior in our task: (i) the coupling of one’s actions to another’s actions (i.e. opponent sensitivity) and (ii) the advantageous timing of a given strategic action. We found that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex displayed selective activation when the subject’s actions were highly sensitive to the opponent’s actions, whereas activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex increased proportionally to the advantageous timing of actions to defeat one’s opponent. Moreover, the temporoparietal junction tracked both of these behavioral quantities as well as opponent social identity, indicating a more general role in monitoring other social agents. These results suggest that brain regions that are frequently implicated in social cognition and value-based decision-making also contribute to the strategic tracking of the value of social actions in dynamic, multi-agent contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey R McDonald
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - John M Pearson
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical School, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Scott A Huettel
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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12
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Contagion of Temporal Discounting Value Preferences in Neurotypical and Autistic Adults. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:700-713. [PMID: 33811283 PMCID: PMC8813822 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04962-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Neuroeconomics paradigms have demonstrated that learning about another's beliefs can make you more like them (i.e., contagion). Due to social deficits in autism, it is possible that autistic individuals will be immune to contagion. We fit Bayesian computational models to a temporal discounting task, where participants made decisions for themselves before and after learning the distinct preferences of two others. Two independent neurotypical samples (N = 48; N = 98) both showed a significant contagion effect; however the strength of contagion was unrelated to autistic traits. Equivalence tests showed autistic (N = 12) and matched neurotypical N = 12) samples had similar levels of contagion and accuracy when learning about others. Despite social impairments being at the core of autistic symptomatology, contagion of value preferences appears to be intact.
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13
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fMRI evidence reveals emotional biases in bilingual decision making. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1405-1421. [PMID: 33675396 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02246-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Research indicates that the foreign language effect on decision making can be partially explained by a reduction in emotional response in the second language. In this fMRI study, we aimed at elucidating the neural mechanisms underpinning the interaction between language and emotion in decision making. Across multiple trials, Chinese-English bilinguals were asked to decide whether to gamble in a Gambling task, and received feedbacks either in L1 (Chinese) or in L2 (English). If they gambled, feedbacks were either positively or negatively valenced words; if they did not gamble, feedback was the word 'safe'. We assessed how emotionally valenced words were processed in the two languages, and how this processing influenced subsequent decision making. Overall, we found evidence that in L2 context, but not in L1 context, loss aversion was mediated by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) which also showed strong functional connectivity with the visual cortex, suggesting an avoidance mechanism for negative stimuli in L2. However, we also found an enhanced response to positive feedbacks in L2 compared to L1, as evidenced by greater activation of the hippocampus for win feedbacks compared to safe feedbacks in L2, eventually resulting in a greater tendency to gamble. Thus, foreign language influenced decision making by both regulating emotional response to negative stimuli and enhancing emotional response to positive stimuli. This study helps unveiling the neural bases of the interaction between language and emotion in the foreign language context.
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14
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Abstract
Experimental games model situations in which the future outcomes of individuals and groups depend on their own choices and on those of other (groups of) individuals. Games are a powerful tool to identify the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying interpersonal and group cooperation and coordination. Here we discuss recent developments in how experimental games are used and adapted, with an increased focus on repeated interactions, partner control through sanctioning, and partner (de)selection for future interactions. Important advances have been made in uncovering the neurobiological underpinnings of key factors involved in cooperation and coordination, including social preferences, cooperative beliefs, (emotion) signaling, and, in particular, reputations and (in)direct reciprocity. Emerging trends at the cross-sections of psychology, economics, and the neurosciences include an increased focus on group heterogeneities, intergroup polarization and conflict, cross-cultural differences in cooperation and norm enforcement, and neurocomputational modeling of the formation and updating of social preferences and beliefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric van Dijk
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands;
| | - Carsten K W De Dreu
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands; .,Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Amsterdam, 1012 WX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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15
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Workman CI, Yoder KJ, Decety J. The Dark Side of Morality - Neural Mechanisms Underpinning Moral Convictions and Support for Violence. AJOB Neurosci 2020; 11:269-284. [PMID: 33196349 PMCID: PMC7939028 DOI: 10.1080/21507740.2020.1811798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
People are motivated by shared social values that, when held with moral conviction, can serve as compelling mandates capable of facilitating support for ideological violence. The current study examined this dark side of morality by identifying specific cognitive and neural mechanisms associated with beliefs about the appropriateness of sociopolitical violence, and determining the extent to which the engagement of these mechanisms was predicted by moral convictions. Participants reported their moral convictions about a variety of sociopolitical issues prior to undergoing functional MRI scanning. During scanning, they were asked to evaluate the appropriateness of violent protests that were ostensibly congruent or incongruent with their views about sociopolitical issues. Complementary univariate and multivariate analytical strategies comparing neural responses to congruent and incongruent violence identified neural mechanisms implicated in processing salience and in the encoding of subjective value. As predicted, neuro-hemodynamic response was modulated parametrically by individuals' beliefs about the appropriateness of congruent relative to incongruent sociopolitical violence in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and by moral conviction in ventral striatum. Overall moral conviction was predicted by neural response to congruent relative to incongruent violence in amygdala. Together, these findings indicate that moral conviction about sociopolitical issues serves to increase their subjective value, overriding natural aversion to interpersonal harm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifford I. Workman
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Keith J. Yoder
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
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16
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Zhang L, Gläscher J. A brain network supporting social influences in human decision-making. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabb4159. [PMID: 32875112 PMCID: PMC7438106 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb4159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Humans learn from their own trial-and-error experience and observing others. However, it remains unknown how brain circuits compute expected values when direct learning and social learning coexist in uncertain environments. Using a multiplayer reward learning paradigm with 185 participants (39 being scanned) in real time, we observed that individuals succumbed to the group when confronted with dissenting information but observing confirming information increased their confidence. Leveraging computational modeling and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tracked direct valuation through experience and vicarious valuation through observation and their dissociable, but interacting neural representations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, respectively. Their functional coupling with the right temporoparietal junction representing instantaneous social information instantiated a hitherto uncharacterized social prediction error, rather than a reward prediction error, in the putamen. These findings suggest that an integrated network involving the brain's reward hub and social hub supports social influence in human decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Biopsychology Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Gläscher
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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17
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Gabay AS, Apps MAJ. Foraging optimally in social neuroscience: computations and methodological considerations. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 16:782-794. [PMID: 32232360 PMCID: PMC8343566 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Research in social neuroscience has increasingly begun to use the tools of computational neuroscience to better understand behaviour. Such approaches have proven fruitful for probing underlying neural mechanisms. However, little attention has been paid to how the structure of experimental tasks relates to real-world decisions, and the problems that brains have evolved to solve. To go significantly beyond current understanding, we must begin to use paradigms and mathematical models from behavioural ecology, which offer insights into the decisions animals must make successfully in order to survive. One highly influential theory-marginal value theorem (MVT)-precisely characterises and provides an optimal solution to a vital foraging decision that most species must make: the patch-leaving problem. Animals must decide when to leave collecting rewards in a current patch (location) and travel somewhere else. We propose that many questions posed in social neuroscience can be approached as patch-leaving problems. A richer understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying social behaviour will be obtained by using MVT. In this 'tools of the trade' article, we outline the patch-leaving problem, the computations of MVT and discuss the application to social neuroscience. Furthermore, we consider the practical challenges and offer solutions for designing paradigms probing patch leaving, both behaviourally and when using neuroimaging techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Gabay
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK
| | - Matthew A J Apps
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK.,Christ Church College, Oxford OX1 1DP, UK
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18
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Burgos-Robles A, Gothard KM, Monfils MH, Morozov A, Vicentic A. Conserved features of anterior cingulate networks support observational learning across species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:215-228. [PMID: 31509768 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to observe, interpret, and learn behaviors and emotions from conspecifics is crucial for survival, as it bypasses direct experience to avoid potential dangers and maximize rewards and benefits. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its extended neural connections are emerging as important networks for the detection, encoding, and interpretation of social signals during observational learning. Evidence from rodents and primates (including humans) suggests that the social interactions that occur while individuals are exposed to important information in their environment lead to transfer of information across individuals that promotes adaptive behaviors in the form of either social affiliation, alertness, or avoidance. In this review, we first showcase anatomical and functional connections of the ACC in primates and rodents that contribute to the perception of social signals. We then discuss species-specific cognitive and social functions of the ACC and differentiate between neural activity related to 'self' and 'other', extending into the difference between social signals received and processed by the self, versus observing social interactions among others. We next describe behavioral and neural events that contribute to social learning via observation. Finally, we discuss some of the neural mechanisms underlying observational learning within the ACC and its extended network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Biology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Marie H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Alexei Morozov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Aleksandra Vicentic
- Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
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19
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Piva M, Velnoskey K, Jia R, Nair A, Levy I, Chang SW. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex computes task-invariant relative subjective value for self and other. eLife 2019; 8:44939. [PMID: 31192786 PMCID: PMC6565363 DOI: 10.7554/elife.44939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Few studies have addressed the neural computations underlying decisions made for others despite the importance of this ubiquitous behavior. Using participant-specific behavioral modeling with univariate and multivariate fMRI approaches, we investigated the neural correlates of decision-making for self and other in two independent tasks, including intertemporal and risky choice. Modeling subjective valuation indicated that participants distinguished between themselves and others with dissimilar preferences. Activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was consistently modulated by relative subjective value. Multi-voxel pattern analysis indicated that activity in the dmPFC uniquely encoded relative subjective value and generalized across self and other and across both tasks. Furthermore, agent cross-decoding accuracy between self and other in the dmPFC was related to self-reported social attitudes. These findings indicate that the dmPFC emerges as a medial prefrontal node that utilizes a task-invariant mechanism for computing relative subjective value for self and other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Piva
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Kayla Velnoskey
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Ruonan Jia
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Amrita Nair
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Ifat Levy
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Steve Wc Chang
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
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20
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Lockwood PL, Wittmann MK, Apps MAJ, Klein-Flügge MC, Crockett MJ, Humphreys GW, Rushworth MFS. Neural mechanisms for learning self and other ownership. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4747. [PMID: 30420714 PMCID: PMC6232114 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07231-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sense of ownership is a ubiquitous and fundamental aspect of human cognition. Here we used model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging and a novel minimal ownership paradigm to probe the behavioural and neural mechanisms underpinning ownership acquisition for ourselves, friends and strangers. We find a self-ownership bias at multiple levels of behaviour from initial preferences to reaction times and computational learning rates. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and anterior cingulate sulcus (ACCs) responded more to self vs. stranger associations, but despite a pervasive neural bias to track self-ownership, no brain area tracked self-ownership exclusively. However, ACC gyrus (ACCg) specifically coded ownership prediction errors for strangers and ownership associative strength for friends and strangers but not for self. Core neural mechanisms for associative learning are biased to learn in reference to self but also engaged when learning in reference to others. In contrast, ACC gyrus exhibits specialization for learning about others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L Lockwood
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Marco K Wittmann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew A J Apps
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Molly J Crockett
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Glyn W Humphreys
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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21
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Social reward monitoring and valuation in the macaque brain. Nat Neurosci 2018; 21:1452-1462. [PMID: 30224807 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0229-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Behaviors are influenced by rewards to both oneself and others, but the neurons and neural connections that monitor and evaluate rewards in social contexts are unknown. To address this issue, we devised a social Pavlovian conditioning procedure for pairs of monkeys. Despite being constant in amount and probability, the subjective value of forthcoming self-rewards, as indexed by licking and choice behaviors, decreased as partner-reward probability increased. This value modulation was absent when the conspecific partner was replaced by a physical object. Medial prefrontal cortex neurons selectively monitored self-reward and partner-reward information, whereas midbrain dopaminergic neurons integrated this information into a subjective value. Recordings of local field potentials revealed that responses to reward-predictive stimuli in medial prefrontal cortex started before those in dopaminergic midbrain nuclei and that neural information flowed predominantly in a medial prefrontal cortex-to-midbrain direction. These findings delineate a dedicated pathway for subjective reward evaluation in social environments.
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22
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Apps MAJ, McKay R, Azevedo RT, Whitehouse H, Tsakiris M. Not on my team: Medial prefrontal cortex responses to ingroup fusion and unfair monetary divisions. Brain Behav 2018; 8:e01030. [PMID: 29931824 PMCID: PMC6085923 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE People are highly attuned to fairness, with people willingly suffering personal costs to prevent others benefitting from unfair acts. Are fairness judgments influenced by group alignments? A new theory posits that we favor ingroups and denigrate members of rival outgroups when our personal identity is fused to a group. Although the mPFC has been separately implicated in group membership and fairness processing, it is unclear whether group alignments affect medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity in response to fairness. Here, we examine the contribution of different regions of the mPFC to processing from ingroup and outgroup members and test whether its response differs depending on how fused we are to an ingroup. METHODS Subjects performed rounds of the Ultimatum Game, being offered fair or unfair divisions of money from supporters of the same soccer team (ingroup), the fiercest rival (outgroup) or neutral individuals whilst undergoing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). RESULTS Strikingly, people willingly suffered personal costs to prevent outgroup members benefitting from both unfair and fair offers. Activity across dorsal and ventral (VMPFC) portions of the mPFC reflected an interaction between fairness and group membership. VMPFC activity in particular was consistent with it coding one's fusion to a group, with the fairness by group membership interaction correlating with the extent that the responder's identity was fused to the ingroup. CONCLUSIONS The influence of fusion on social behavior therefore seems to be linked to processing in the VMPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A J Apps
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ryan McKay
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ruben T Azevedo
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK.,The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
| | - Harvey Whitehouse
- Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Manos Tsakiris
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK.,The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK
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23
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Gross J, Emmerling F, Vostroknutov A, Sack AT. Manipulation of Pro-Sociality and Rule-Following with Non-invasive Brain Stimulation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1827. [PMID: 29379072 PMCID: PMC5789006 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19997-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Decisions are often governed by rules on adequate social behaviour. Recent research suggests that the right lateral prefrontal cortex (rLPFC) is involved in the implementation of internal fairness rules (norms), by controlling the impulse to act selfishly. A drawback of these studies is that the assumed norms and impulses have to be deduced from behaviour and that norm-following and pro-sociality are indistinguishable. Here, we directly confronted participants with a rule that demanded to make advantageous or disadvantageous monetary allocations for themselves or another person. To disentangle its functional role in rule-following and pro-sociality, we divergently manipulated the rLPFC by applying cathodal or anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Cathodal tDCS increased participants’ rule-following, even of rules that demanded to lose money or hurt another person financially. In contrast, anodal tDCS led participants to specifically violate more often those rules that were at odds with what participants chose freely. Brain stimulation over the rLPFC thus did not simply increase or decrease selfishness. Instead, by disentangling rule-following and pro-sociality, our results point to a broader role of the rLPFC in integrating the costs and benefits of rules in order to align decisions with internal goals, ultimately enabling to flexibly adapt social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Gross
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. .,Center for Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Franziska Emmerling
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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24
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The Neural Basis of Changing Social Norms through Persuasion. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16295. [PMID: 29176682 PMCID: PMC5701130 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16572-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Social norms regulate behavior, and changes in norms have a great impact on society. In most modern societies, norms change through interpersonal communication and persuasive messages found in media. Here, we examined the neural basis of persuasion-induced changes in attitude toward and away from norms using fMRI. We measured brain activity while human participants were exposed to persuasive messages directed toward specific norms. Persuasion directed toward social norms specifically activated a set of brain regions including temporal poles, temporo-parietal junction, and medial prefrontal cortex. Beyond these regions, when successful, persuasion away from an accepted norm specifically recruited the left middle temporal and supramarginal gyri. Furthermore, in combination with data from a separate attitude-rating task, we found that left supramarginal gyrus activity represented participant attitude toward norms and tracked the persuasion-induced attitude changes that were away from agreement.
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25
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Will GJ, Rutledge RB, Moutoussis M, Dolan RJ. Neural and computational processes underlying dynamic changes in self-esteem. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 29061228 PMCID: PMC5655144 DOI: 10.7554/elife.28098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-esteem is shaped by the appraisals we receive from others. Here, we characterize neural and computational mechanisms underlying this form of social influence. We introduce a computational model that captures fluctuations in self-esteem engendered by prediction errors that quantify the difference between expected and received social feedback. Using functional MRI, we show these social prediction errors correlate with activity in ventral striatum/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, while updates in self-esteem resulting from these errors co-varied with activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). We linked computational parameters to psychiatric symptoms using canonical correlation analysis to identify an 'interpersonal vulnerability' dimension. Vulnerability modulated the expression of prediction error responses in anterior insula and insula-vmPFC connectivity during self-esteem updates. Our findings indicate that updating of self-evaluative beliefs relies on learning mechanisms akin to those used in learning about others. Enhanced insula-vmPFC connectivity during updating of those beliefs may represent a marker for psychiatric vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geert-Jan Will
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robb B Rutledge
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Moutoussis
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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