1
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Gamble RS, Henry JD, Decety J, Vanman EJ. The role of external factors in affect-sharing and their neural bases. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105540. [PMID: 38211739 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Affect-sharing, the ability to vicariously feel another person's emotions, is the primary component of empathy that is typically thought to rely on the observer's capacity to feel the emotions of others. However, external signals, such as the target's physical characteristics, have been demonstrated to influence affect-sharing in the neuroscientific literature that speaks to the underappreciated role of external factors in eliciting affect-sharing. We consider factors that influence affect-sharing, including physical cues, emotional cues, situational factors, and observer-target relationships, as well as the neural circuits involved in these processes. Our review reveals that, while neural network activation is primarily responsible for processing affect-sharing, external factors also co-activate a top-down cognitive processing network to modulate the conscious process of affect-sharing. From this knowledge, an integrative framework of external factor interactions with affect-sharing are explained in detail. Finally, we identify critical areas for future research in social and affective neuroscience, including research gaps and incorporation of ecologically valid paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger S Gamble
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Julie D Henry
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eric J Vanman
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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2
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Mei S, Weiß M, Hein G, Han S. EEG evidence for racial ingroup bias in collective empathy for pain. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae019. [PMID: 38300214 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae019] [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: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research on racial ingroup bias in empathy for pain focused on neural responses to a single person's suffering. It is unclear whether empathy for simultaneously perceived multiple individuals' pain (denoted as collective empathy in this study) is also sensitive to perceived racial identities of empathy targets. We addressed this issue by recording electroencephalography from Chinese adults who responded to racial identities of 2 × 2 arrays of Asian or White faces in which 4 faces, 1 face, or no face showed painful expressions. Participants reported greater feelings of others' pain and their own unpleasantness when viewing 4 compared to 1 (or no) painful faces. Behavioral responses to racial identities of faces revealed decreased speeds of information acquisition when responding to the face arrays with 4 (vs. 1 or no) painful expressions of Asian (but not White) faces. Moreover, Asian compared to White face arrays with 4 (vs. 1 or no) painful expressions elicited a larger positive neural response at 160-190 ms (P2) at the frontal/central electrodes and enhanced alpha synchronizations at 288-1,000 ms at the central electrodes. Our findings provide evidence for racial ingroup biases in collective empathy for pain and unravel its relevant neural underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Mei
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 52 Heidian Street, Beijing 100080, China
| | - Martin Weiß
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Grit Hein
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 52 Heidian Street, Beijing 100080, China
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3
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Mauchand M, Armony JL, Pell MD. The vocal side of empathy: neural correlates of pain perception in spoken complaints. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 19:nsad075. [PMID: 38102388 PMCID: PMC10752465 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad075] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In the extensive neuroimaging literature on empathy for pain, few studies have investigated how this phenomenon may relate to everyday social situations such as spoken interactions. The present study used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to assess how complaints, as vocal expressions of pain, are empathically processed by listeners and how these empathic responses may vary based on speakers' vocal expression and cultural identity. Twenty-four French participants listened to short utterances describing a painful event, which were either produced in a neutral-sounding or complaining voice by both in-group (French) and out-group (French Canadian) speakers. Results suggest that the perception of suffering from a complaining voice increased activity in the emotional voice areas, composed of voice-sensitive temporal regions interacting with prefrontal cortices and the amygdala. The Salience and Theory of Mind networks, associated with affective and cognitive aspects of empathy, also showed prosody-related activity and specifically correlated with behavioral evaluations of suffering by listeners. Complaints produced by in- vs out-group speakers elicited sensorimotor and default mode activity, respectively, suggesting accent-based changes in empathic perspective. These results, while reaffirming the role of key networks in tasks involving empathy, highlight the importance of vocal expression information and social categorization processes when perceiving another's suffering during social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maël Mauchand
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A1G1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, QC H3G2A8, Canada
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 1202, Switzerland
| | - Jorge L Armony
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, QC H3G2A8, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC H4H1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A1A1, Canada
| | - Marc D Pell
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A1G1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, QC H3G2A8, Canada
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4
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Huo T, Shamay-Tsoory S, Han S. Creative mindset reduces racial ingroup bias in empathic neural responses. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10558-10574. [PMID: 37615303 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous racial categorization of other-race individuals provides a cognitive basis of racial ingroup biases in empathy and prosocial behavior. In two experiments, we investigated whether fostering a creativity mindset reduces racial ingroup biases in empathy and undermines spontaneous racial categorization of other-race faces. Before and after a creative mindset priming procedure that required the construction of novel objects using discreteness, we recorded electroencephalography signals to Asian and White faces with painful or neutral expressions from Chinese adults to assess neural activities underlying racial ingroup biases in empathy and spontaneous racial categorization of faces. We found that a frontal-central positive activity within 200 ms after face onset (P2) showed greater amplitudes to painful (vs. neutral) expressions of Asian compared with White faces and exhibited repetition suppression in response to White faces. These effects, however, were significantly reduced by creative mindset priming. Moreover, the creative mindset priming enhanced the P2 amplitudes to others' pain to a larger degree in participants who created more novel objects. The priming effects were not observed in control participants who copied objects constructed by others. Our findings suggest that creative mindsets may reduce racial ingroup biases in empathic neural responses by undermining spontaneous racial categorization of faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengbin Huo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100080, China
| | | | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100080, China
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5
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Deist M, Fourie MM. (Not) part of the team: Racial empathy bias in a South African minimal group study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283902. [PMID: 37023090 PMCID: PMC10079011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Minimal Group Paradigm (MGP) research suggests that recategorization with an arbitrarily defined group may be sufficient to override empathy biases among salient social categories like race. However, most studies utilizing MGPs do not consider sufficiently the socio-historical contexts of social groups. Here we investigated whether the recategorization of White participants into arbitrarily defined mixed-race teams using a non-competitive MGP would ameliorate racial empathy biases towards ingroup team members in the South African context. Sixty participants rated their empathic and counter-empathic (Schadenfreude, Glückschmerz) responses to ingroup and outgroup team members in physically painful, emotionally distressing, and positive situations. As anticipated, results indicated significant ingroup team biases in empathic and counter-empathic responses. However, mixed-race minimal teams were unable to override ingroup racial empathy biases, which persisted across events. Interestingly, a manipulation highlighting purported political ideological differences between White and Black African team members did not exacerbate racial empathy bias, suggesting that such perceptions were already salient. Across conditions, an internal motivation to respond without prejudice was most strongly associated with empathy for Black African target individuals, regardless of their team status. Together, these results suggest that racial identity continues to provide a salient motivational guide in addition to more arbitrary group memberships, even at an explicit level, for empathic responding in contexts characterized by historical power asymmetry. These data further problematize the continued official use of race-based categories in such contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Deist
- Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Melike M Fourie
- Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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6
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Rodríguez-Nieto G, Mercadillo RE, Pasaye EH, Barrios FA. Affective and cognitive brain-networks are differently integrated in women and men while experiencing compassion. Front Psychol 2022; 13:992935. [PMID: 36176793 PMCID: PMC9513369 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Different theoretical models have proposed cognitive and affective components in empathy and moral judgments encompassing compassion. Furthermore, gender differences in psychological and neural functions involving empathic and moral processing, as well as compassionate experiences, have been reported. However, the neurobiological function regarding affective and cognitive integration underlying compassion and gender-associated differences has not been investigated. In this study, we aimed to examine the interaction between cognitive and emotional components through functional connectivity analyzes and to explore gender differences for the recruitment and interaction of these components. Thirty-six healthy participants (21–56 years; 21 women) were exposed to social images in an fMRI session to judge whether the stimuli elicited compassion. The results showed a different connectivity pattern for women and men of the insular cortex, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and the cingulate cortex. The integration of affective and cognitive components follows a complex functional connectivity pattern that is different for both genders. These differences may indicate that men largely make compassionate judgments based on contextual information, while women tend to notably take internal and introspective processes into account. Women and men can use different affective and cognitive routes that could converge in similar learning of moral values, empathic experiences and compassionate acts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Rodríguez-Nieto
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roberto E. Mercadillo
- Unidad Iztapalapa, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México City, Mexico
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, México City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Roberto E. Mercadillo, ,
| | - Erick H. Pasaye
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Queretaro, Mexico
| | - Fernando A. Barrios
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Queretaro, Mexico
- Fernando A. Barrios,
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7
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Zhou Y, Pang C, Pu Y, Han S. Racial outgroup favoritism in neural responses to others' pain emerges during sociocultural interactions. Neuropsychologia 2022; 174:108321. [PMID: 35835232 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Racial ingroup favoritism in empathic brain activity has been widely observed and is associated with biased behavior toward same-race and other-race individuals. We investigated whether racial outgroup favoritism in neural responses to others' pain - an objective measure of empathy - may emerge during sociocultural interactions in a new social environment. We recorded magnetoencephalography to pain and neutral expressions of Asian and White faces from White students who had stayed in China for 6-36 weeks (Experimental group) or 2-4 weeks (Control group). The experimental group showed better neural decoding of and greater insular/sensorimotor responses to pain vs. neutral expressions of Asian compared to White faces. By contrast, the control group showed better neural decoding of pain vs. neutral expressions of White than Asian faces. In addition, participants of the experimental group who had stayed longer in China showed greater sensorimotor responses to pain (vs. neutral) expressions of Asian faces but weaker sensorimotor responses to pain (vs. neutral) expressions of White faces. Our findings revealed emerging racial outgroup favoritism in brain activities associated with sensorimotor resonance and affective sharing of others' pain during sociocultural interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Zhou
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Chenyu Pang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Pu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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8
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Raghunath BL, Sng KHL, Chen SHA, Vijayaragavan V, Gulyás B, Setoh P, Esposito G. Stronger brain activation for own baby but similar activation toward babies of own and different ethnicities in parents living in a multicultural environment. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10988. [PMID: 35768627 PMCID: PMC9243063 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15289-1] [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: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Specific facial features in infants automatically elicit attention, affection, and nurturing behaviour of adults, known as the baby schema effect. There is also an innate tendency to categorize people into in-group and out-group members based on salient features such as ethnicity. Societies are becoming increasingly multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, and there are limited investigations into the underlying neural mechanism of the baby schema effect in a multi-ethnic context. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine parents' (N = 27) neural responses to (a) non-own ethnic in-group and out-group infants, (b) non-own in-group and own infants, and (c) non-own out-group and own infants. Parents showed similar brain activations, regardless of ethnicity and kinship, in regions associated with attention, reward processing, empathy, memory, goal-directed action planning, and social cognition. The same regions were activated to a higher degree when viewing the parents' own infant. These findings contribute further understanding to the dynamics of baby schema effect in an increasingly interconnected social world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bindiya Lakshmi Raghunath
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kelly Hwee Leng Sng
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S H Annabel Chen
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Office of Educational Research, National Institute of Education, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vimalan Vijayaragavan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Balázs Gulyás
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Peipei Setoh
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
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9
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Harjunen VJ, Sjö P, Ahmed I, Saarinen A, Farmer H, Salminen M, Järvelä S, Ruonala A, Jacucci G, Ravaja N. Increasing Self-Other Similarity Modulates Ethnic Bias in Sensorimotor Resonance to Others' Pain. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:673-682. [PMID: 34669949 PMCID: PMC9250302 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The tendency to simulate the pain of others within our own sensorimotor systems is a vital component of empathy. However, this sensorimotor resonance is modulated by a multitude of social factors including similarity in bodily appearance, e.g. skin colour. The current study investigated whether increasing self-other similarity via virtual transfer to another colour body reduced ingroup bias in sensorimotor resonance. A sample of 58 white participants was momentarily transferred to either a black or a white body using virtual reality technology. We then employed electroencephalography (EEG) to examine event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the sensorimotor beta (13-23 Hz) oscillations while they viewed black, white, and violet photorealistic virtual agents being touched with a noxious or soft object. While the noxious treatment of a violet agent did not increase beta ERD, amplified beta ERD in response to black agent's noxious vs. soft treatment was found in perceivers transferred to black body. Transfer to the white body dismissed the effect. Further exploratory analysis implied that the pain-related beta ERD occurred only when the agent and the participant were of the same colour. The results suggest that even short-lasting changes in bodily resemblance can modulate sensorimotor resonance to others' perceived pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ville Johannes Harjunen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petja Sjö
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Imtiaj Ahmed
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aino Saarinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harry Farmer
- School of Human Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom.,Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mikko Salminen
- Gamification Group, Faculty of Information Technology and Communications, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Simo Järvelä
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Gamification Group, Faculty of Information Technology and Communications, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Antti Ruonala
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Giulio Jacucci
- Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Niklas Ravaja
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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10
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Fourie MM, Verwoerd WJ. COVID-19 as Natural Intervention: Guilt and Perceived Historical Privilege Contributes to Structural Reform Under Conditions of Crisis. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2021; 3:34-45. [PMID: 34608456 PMCID: PMC8481112 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-021-00073-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been described as an unmasking of persistent racialized inequalities linked to South Africa’s oppressive past. However, such observations lack empirical support. Here we examined whether COVID-19 lockdown conditions encouraged greater perceptions of continuing structural racism together with motivational and behavioral support for social justice, and whether guilt or empathic concern undergirded such responses. A national sample of White South Africans’ data suggests that the pandemic served as a natural intervention, fostering greater acknowledgement of structural racism and support for redress through increased awareness of historical privilege and guilt in response to Black hardship. Guilt furthermore predicted a social justice motivation in relief efforts, whereas empathic concern predicted only charity motivation. These results suggest that “White guilt” is more consequential than empathic concern in contributing to structural reform but would require longer-term processes to support the translation of its motivational push into sustainable contributions to social justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melike M Fourie
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa
| | - Wilhelm J Verwoerd
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600 South Africa
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11
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Zhang T, Han S. Non-phase-locked alpha oscillations are involved in spontaneous racial categorization of faces. Neuropsychologia 2021; 160:107968. [PMID: 34310972 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Racial categorization of faces has a notable impact on human behavior, but its neural underpinnings remain unresolved. Previous electroencephalography (EEG) research focused on contributions of phase-locked neural activities to racial categorization of faces. We investigated functional roles of non-phase-locked neural oscillations in spontaneous racial categorization of faces by recording EEG from Chinese adults who performed an individuation task on Asian/White faces in Experiment 1 and on Asian/Black faces in Experiment 2. We quantified neural processes involved in spontaneous racial categorization of faces by examining repetition suppression of non-phase-locked neural oscillations when participants viewed faces of one race presented repeatedly in the same block of trials (repetition condition), or faces of two races presented alternately in the same block of trials (alternating condition). We found decreased power of alpha (9-13 Hz) oscillations in the repetition than alternating conditions at 80-240 ms over frontal-central electrodes induced by White/Black (but not Asian) faces. Moreover, larger repetition suppression of alpha oscillations in response to White/Black (vs. Asian) faces predicted greater implicit negative attitudes toward White/Black faces across individuals. Our findings suggest that non-phase-locked alpha oscillations are engaged in spontaneous racial categorization of faces and are associated with implicit negative attitudes toward other-race faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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12
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Abstract
While the desire to uncover the neural correlates of consciousness has taken numerous directions, self-face recognition has been a constant in attempts to isolate aspects of self-awareness. The neuroimaging revolution of the 1990s brought about systematic attempts to isolate the underlying neural basis of self-face recognition. These studies, including some of the first fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) examinations, revealed a right-hemisphere bias for self-face recognition in a diverse set of regions including the insula, the dorsal frontal lobe, the temporal parietal junction, and the medial temporal cortex. In this systematic review, we provide confirmation of these data (which are correlational) which were provided by TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and patients in which direct inhibition or ablation of right-hemisphere regions leads to a disruption or absence of self-face recognition. These data are consistent with a number of theories including a right-hemisphere dominance for self-awareness and/or a right-hemisphere specialization for identifying significant social relationships, including to oneself.
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13
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Fallon N, Roberts C, Stancak A. Shared and distinct functional networks for empathy and pain processing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI studies. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:709-723. [PMID: 32608498 PMCID: PMC7511882 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Empathy for pain is a complex phenomenon incorporating sensory, cognitive and affective processes. Functional neuroimaging studies indicate a rich network of brain activations for empathic processing. However, previous research focused on core activations in bilateral anterior insula (AI) and anterior cingulate/anterior midcingulate cortex (ACC/aMCC) which are also typically present during nociceptive (pain) processing. Theoretical understanding of empathy would benefit from empirical investigation of shared and contrasting brain activations for empathic and nociceptive processing. METHOD Thirty-nine empathy for observed pain studies (1112 participants; 527 foci) were selected by systematic review. Coordinate based meta-analysis (activation likelihood estimation) was performed and novel contrast analyses compared neurobiological processing of empathy with a comprehensive meta-analysis of 180 studies of nociceptive processing (Tanasescu et al., 2016). RESULTS Conjunction analysis indicated overlapping activations for empathy and nociception in AI, aMCC, somatosensory and inferior frontal regions. Contrast analysis revealed increased likelihood of activation for empathy, relative to nociception, in bilateral supramarginal, inferior frontal and occipitotemporal regions. Nociception preferentially activated bilateral posterior insula, somatosensory cortex and aMCC. CONCLUSION Our findings support the likelihood of shared and distinct neural networks for empathic, relative to nociceptive, processing. This offers succinct empirical support for recent tiered or modular theoretical accounts of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Fallon
- Correspondence should be addressed to Nicholas Fallon, Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK. E-mail:
| | - Carl Roberts
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L697ZA, UK
| | - Andrej Stancak
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L697ZA, UK
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14
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Frontotemporal dementia, music perception and social cognition share neurobiological circuits: A meta-analysis. Brain Cogn 2021; 148:105660. [PMID: 33421942 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disease that presents with profound changes in social cognition. Music might be a sensitive probe for social cognition abilities, but underlying neurobiological substrates are unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies in FTD patients and functional MRI studies for music perception and social cognition tasks in cognitively normal controls to identify robust patterns of atrophy (FTD) or activation (music perception or social cognition). Conjunction analyses were performed to identify overlapping brain regions. In total 303 articles were included: 53 for FTD (n = 1153 patients, 42.5% female; 1337 controls, 53.8% female), 28 for music perception (n = 540, 51.8% female) and 222 for social cognition in controls (n = 5664, 50.2% female). We observed considerable overlap in atrophy patterns associated with FTD, and functional activation associated with music perception and social cognition, mostly encompassing the ventral language network. We further observed overlap across all three modalities in mesolimbic, basal forebrain and striatal regions. The results of our meta-analysis suggest that music perception and social cognition share neurobiological circuits that are affected in FTD. This supports the idea that music might be a sensitive probe for social cognition abilities with implications for diagnosis and monitoring.
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Zhou Y, Han S. Neural dynamics of pain expression processing: Alpha-band synchronization to same-race pain but desynchronization to other-race pain. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117400. [PMID: 32979524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Both electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have revealed enhanced neural responses to perceived pain in same-race than other-race individuals. However, it remains unclear how neural responses in the sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective subsystems vary dynamically in the first few hundreds of milliseconds to generate racial ingroup favoritism in empathy for pain. We recorded magnetoencephalography signals to pain and neutral expressions of Asian and white faces from Chinese adults during judgments of racial identity of each face. We found that pain compared to neutral expressions of same-race faces induced early increased alpha oscillations in the precuneus/parietal cortices followed by increased alpha-band oscillations in the left anterior insula and temporoparietal junction. Pain compared to neutral expressions of other-race faces, however, induced early suppression of alpha-band oscillations in the bilateral sensorimotor cortices and left insular cortex. Moreover, decreased functional connectivity between the left sensorimotor cortex and left anterior insula predicted reduced subjective feelings of other-race suffering. Our results unraveled distinct patterns of modulations of neural dynamics of sensorimotor, affective, and cognitive components of empathy by interracial relationships between an observer and a target person, which provide possible brain mechanisms for understanding racial ingroup favoritism in social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Zhou
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 52 Haidian Road, Beijing 100080, China
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 52 Haidian Road, Beijing 100080, China.
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Abstract
The social neuroscience approach to prejudice investigates the psychology of intergroup bias by integrating models and methods of neuroscience with the social psychology of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Here, we review major contemporary lines of inquiry, including current accounts of group-based categorization; formation and updating of prejudice and stereotypes; effects of prejudice on perception, emotion, and decision making; and the self-regulation of prejudice. In each section, we discuss key social neuroscience findings, consider interpretational challenges and connections with the behavioral literature, and highlight how they advance psychological theories of prejudice. We conclude by discussing the next-generation questions that will continue to guide the social neuroscience approach toward addressing major societal issues of prejudice and discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Amodio
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; .,Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mina Cikara
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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17
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Bagnis A, Celeghin A, Diano M, Mendez CA, Spadaro G, Mosso CO, Avenanti A, Tamietto M. Functional neuroanatomy of racial categorization from visual perception: A meta-analytic study. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116939. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
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18
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Dotson VM, Duarte A. The importance of diversity in cognitive neuroscience. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1464:181-191. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vonetta M. Dotson
- Department of Psychology and the Gerontology InstituteGeorgia State University Atlanta Georgia
| | - Audrey Duarte
- Department of PsychologyGeorgia Institute of Technology Atlanta Georgia
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19
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Luo S, Zhang T, Li W, Yu M, Hein G, Han S. Interactions between oxytocin receptor gene and intergroup relationship on empathic neural responses to others' pain. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:505-517. [PMID: 31070227 PMCID: PMC6545534 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathic neural responses to others' suffering are subject to both social and biological influences. The present study tested the hypothesis that empathic neural responses to others' pain are more flexible in an intergroup context in G/G than A/A carriers of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) (rs53576). We recorded event-related brain potentials to painful vs neutral expressions of Asian and Caucasian faces that were assigned to a fellow team or an opponent team in Chinese carriers of G/G or A/A allele of OXTR. We found that G/G carriers showed greater neural responses at 136-176 ms (P2) over the frontal/central region to painful vs neutral expressions of faces with shared either racial or mini group identity. In contrast, A/A carriers showed significant empathic neural responses in the P2 time window only to the faces with both shared racial and mini group identity. Moreover, the racial in-group bias in empathic neural responses varied across individuals' empathy traits and ethnic identity for G/G but not A/A carriers. Our findings provide electrophysiological evidence for greater flexibility of empathic neural responses in intergroup contexts in G/G (vs A/A) carriers of OXTR and suggest interactions between OXTR and intergroup relationships on empathy for others' suffering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyang Luo
- Department of Psychology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Guangdong Provincial Key, Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenxin Li
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Meihua Yu
- Department of Psychology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Guangdong Provincial Key, Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Grit Hein
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Shihui Han
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
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20
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Fourie MM, Stein DJ, Solms M, Gobodo-Madikizela P, Decety J. Effects of early adversity and social discrimination on empathy for complex mental states: An fMRI investigation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12959. [PMID: 31506497 PMCID: PMC6737126 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49298-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
There is extensive evidence of an association between early adversity and enduring neural changes that impact socioemotional processing throughout life. Yet little is known about the effects of on-going social discrimination on socioemotional functioning. Here we examined how cumulative experiences of social discrimination impact brain response during empathic responding—a crucial issue in South Africa, given its historical apartheid context and continuing legacies. White and Black South Africans completed measures of social adversity (early adversity and social discrimination), and underwent fMRI while viewing video clips depicting victims and perpetrators of apartheid crimes. Increased neural response was detected in brain regions associated with cognitive rather than affective empathy, and greater social adversity was associated with reduced reported compassion across participants. Notably, social discrimination (due to income level, weight, gender) in White participants was associated with increased amygdala reactivity, whereas social discrimination (due to race) in Black participants mediated the negative associations of temporoparietal junction and inferior frontal gyrus activation with compassion during emotionally provocative conditions. These findings suggest that (i) social discrimination has comparable associations at the neural level as other psychosocial stressors, and that (ii) the mechanisms underlying empathic responding vary as a function of the type of social discrimination experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melike M Fourie
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and MRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mark Solms
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
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21
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Jauniaux J, Khatibi A, Rainville P, Jackson PL. A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on pain empathy: investigating the role of visual information and observers' perspective. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 14:789-813. [PMID: 31393982 PMCID: PMC6847411 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Empathy relies on brain systems that support the interaction between an observer's mental state and cues about the others' experience. Beyond the core brain areas typically activated in pain empathy studies (insular and anterior cingulate cortices), the diversity of paradigms used may reveal secondary networks that subserve other more specific processes. A coordinate-based meta-analysis of fMRI experiments on pain empathy was conducted to obtain activation likelihood estimates along three factors and seven conditions: visual cues (body parts, facial expressions), visuospatial (first-person, thirdperson), and cognitive (self-, stimuli-, other-oriented tasks) perspectives. The core network was found across cues and perspectives, and common activation was observed in higher-order visual areas. Body-parts distinctly activated areas related with sensorimotor processing (superior and inferior parietal lobules, anterior insula) while facial expression distinctly involved the inferior frontal gyrus. Self- compared to other-perspective produced distinct activations in the left insula while stimulus- versus other-perspective produced distinctive responses in the inferior frontal and parietal lobules, precentral gyrus, and cerebellum. Pain empathy relies on a core network which is modulated by several secondary networks. The involvement of the latter seems to depend on the visual cues available and the observer's mental state that can be influenced by specific instructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiane Jauniaux
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), 525, boul. Wilfrid-Hamel, Québec, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
- Centre de recherche CERVO, 2601, rue de la Canardière, Québec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Ali Khatibi
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), 4545, Chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal, QC H3W 1W4, Canada
- Center of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain (CPR Spine), School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Rainville
- Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), 4545, Chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal, QC H3W 1W4, Canada
- Département de stomatologie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Philip L Jackson
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, 2325, rue des Bibliothèques, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale (CIRRIS), 525, boul. Wilfrid-Hamel, Québec, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
- Centre de recherche CERVO, 2601, rue de la Canardière, Québec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
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22
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Kim H, Kralik JD, Yun K, Chung YA, Jeong J. Neural Correlates of Public Apology Effectiveness. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:229. [PMID: 31404234 PMCID: PMC6669883 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Apologizing is an effective interpersonal conflict resolution strategy, but whether, and if so how, organizations should issue public apologies after crises remains less clear. To assuage the fear of possible crisis reoccurrence, public apologies may be effective when they provide a comprehensive account of what happened and clarify actions taken by the company to address the problems. If this is so, public apologies may be most effective when the crisis source resides within the organization itself, suggesting that the company has control over it. In the current study, we first tested this hypothesis by presenting participants with multiple crisis scenarios (e.g., ignition failures in a new car model) followed by one of two written apologies: one stating that the crisis source was internal to and controllable by the organization, and the other external and uncontrollable. The internal-controllable (IC) public apology proved most effective. We then examined the neural basis of this public apology assessment and found that the frontal polar cortex appears to mediate the assessment of organizational control, and the angular gyrus uses the information for the apology assessment. Examination of complex social interactions, such as the public’s reaction to corporate crises, helps to elucidate high-level brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoh Kim
- Graduate School of Culture Technology, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jerald D Kralik
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Kyongsik Yun
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Yong-An Chung
- Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jaeseung Jeong
- Graduate School of Culture Technology, Seoul, South Korea.,Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
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Behavioral and electctrophysiological evidence for enhanced sensitivity to subtle variations of pain expressions of same-race than other-race faces. Neuropsychologia 2019; 129:302-309. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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24
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Han S. Neurocognitive Basis of Racial Ingroup Bias in Empathy. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:400-421. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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