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Yang L, Gao Y, Ao L, Wang H, Zhou S, Liu Y. Context Modulates Perceived Fairness in Altruistic Punishment: Neural Signatures from ERPs and EEG Oscillations. Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-024-01039-1. [PMID: 38448713 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01039-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Social norms and altruistic punitive behaviours are both based on the integration of information from multiple contexts. Individual behavioural performance can be altered by loss and gain contexts, which produce different mental states and subjective perceptions. In this study, we used event-related potential and time-frequency techniques to examine performance on a third-party punishment task and to explore the neural mechanisms underlying context-dependent differences in punishment decisions. The results indicated that individuals were more likely to reject unfairness in the context of loss (vs. gain) and to increase punishment as unfairness increased. In contrast, fairness appeared to cause an early increase in cognitive control signal enhancement, as indicated by the P2 amplitude and theta oscillations, and a later increase in emotional and motivational salience during decision-making in gain vs. loss contexts, as indicated by the medial frontal negativity and beta oscillations. In summary, individuals were more willing to sanction violations of social norms in the loss context than in the gain context and rejecting unfair losses induced more equity-related cognitive conflict than accepting unfair gains, highlighting the importance of context (i.e., gain vs. loss) in equity-related social decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - Lihong Ao
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - He Wang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - Shuhang Zhou
- Meta Platform, Inc, 121 S Magnolia Ave, Apt 1, Millbrae, CA, 94030, USA
| | - Yingjie Liu
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China.
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2
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Jiang L, Wang G, Zhang S, Ye J, He R, Chen B, Si Y, Yao D, Yu J, Wan F, Xu P, Yu L, Li F. Feedback-related brain activity in individual decision: evidence from a gambling EEG study. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad430. [PMID: 37950878 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad430] [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: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, based on scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), we conducted cortical source localization and functional network analyses to investigate the underlying mechanism explaining the decision processes when individuals anticipate maximizing gambling benefits, particularly in situations where the decision outcomes are inconsistent with the profit goals. The findings shed light on the feedback monitoring process, wherein incongruity between outcomes and gambling goals triggers a more pronounced medial frontal negativity and activates the frontal lobe. Moreover, long-range theta connectivity is implicated in processing surprise and uncertainty caused by inconsistent feedback conditions, while middle-range delta coupling reflects a more intricate evaluation of feedback outcomes, which subsequently modifies individual decision-making for optimizing future rewards. Collectively, these findings deepen our comprehension of decision-making under circumstances where the profit goals are compromised by decision outcomes and provide electrophysiological evidence supporting adaptive adjustments in individual decision strategies to achieve maximum benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Jiang
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Guangying Wang
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Silai Zhang
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Jiayu Ye
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Runyang He
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Baodan Chen
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Yajing Si
- School of Psychology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Dezhong Yao
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
- Research Unit of NeuroInformation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 2019RU035, China
- School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Jing Yu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Feng Wan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
| | - Peng Xu
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
- Research Unit of NeuroInformation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 2019RU035, China
- Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610042, China
- Rehabilitation Center, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Liang Yu
- Department of Neurology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sichuan Translational Medicine Research Hospital, Chengdu 610072, China
| | - Fali Li
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in BioMedicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
- Research Unit of NeuroInformation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 2019RU035, China
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macau 999078, China
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3
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Falco A, Rattat AC, Paul I, Albinet C. Younger adults are more prosocial than older adults in economic decision making results from the give and take game. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17866. [PMID: 37483699 PMCID: PMC10359880 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study was designed to investigate the disadvantageous and advantageous inequity aversion of young and older adults in situations which allowed them to maximize or minimize payoff inequalities. Given the very limited evidence regarding an actual age-related effect on inequity aversion, the purpose of this study was to examine this question using an economic game, "the Give-and-Take Game", which is able to circumvent certain limitations of the Ultimatum Game, to evaluate inequity aversion (i.e., a same behaviour which can be induced by opposite motivations: prosocial vs. pro-self vs. altruistic orientations). In the "Give-and-Take Game", a sum of money was randomly distributed between the participant and a dummy player. These distributions created monetary inequalities, advantageous either for the participant (to examine advantageous inequity aversion) or for the other player (to examine disadvantageous inequity aversion). Different response options were proposed to the participants to either maximize or minimize payoff inequalities between the players. This procedure not only allowed to differentiate individual's profiles with more prosocial vs. pro-self vs. altruistic orientations, but also to examine age-related effects on these profiles. The results showed that older adults showed a more important pro-self orientation compared to their younger counterparts. They more frequently selected the options which maximized their own payoffs and were less averse to advantageous inequity compared to young adults. In contrast, young adults showed a similar level of advantageous and disadvantageous inequity aversion. Older adults focused on the economic and competitive dimension of the game, which may have motivated them to maximize their own payoffs. Conversely, young adults took into account the social dimension of the game, focusing on a fair monetary distribution.
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4
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Yan K, Tao R, Huang X, Zhang E. Influence of advisees' facial feedback on subsequent advice-giving by advisors: Evidence from the behavioral and neurophysiological approach. Biol Psychol 2023; 177:108506. [PMID: 36736571 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Previous work has demonstrated the interpersonal implications of advisees' decisions (acceptance or rejection) on advisors' advice-giving behavior in subsequent exchanges. Here, using an ERP technique, we investigated how advisees' facial feedback (smiling, neutral, or frowning) accompanying their decisions (acceptance or rejection) influenced advisors' feedback evaluation from advisees and their advice-giving in subsequent exchanges. Behaviorally, regardless of whether the advice was accepted or rejected, advisors who received smiling-expression feedback would show higher willingness rates in subsequent advice-giving decisions, while advisors who received frowning-expression feedback would show lower willingness rates. On the neural level, in the feedback evaluation stage, the FRN and P3 responses were not sensitive to facial feedback. In contrast, frowning-expression feedback elicited a larger LPC amplitude than neutral- and smiling-expression feedback, regardless of whether the advice was accepted or rejected. In the advice decision stage, advisors who received neutral-expression feedback showed a larger N2 in making decisions than advisors who received frowning-expression feedback only after the advice was rejected. Additionally, Advisors who received smiling- and neutral-expression feedback showed a larger P3 in making decisions than advisors who received frowning-expression feedback only after the advice was accepted. In sum, the current findings extended previous research findings by showing that the effect of advisees' facial expressions on the advisors' advice-giving existed in multiple stages, including both the feedback evaluation stage and the advice decision stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaikai Yan
- Institute of Cognition, Brain & Health, Henan University, Kaifeng, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Ruiwen Tao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior, Shanghai, China; School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyang Huang
- Institute of Cognition, Brain & Health, Henan University, Kaifeng, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Entao Zhang
- Institute of Cognition, Brain & Health, Henan University, Kaifeng, China; Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
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5
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Fabre EF, Rumiati R, Causse M, Mailliez M, Cacciari C, Lotto L. Investigating the impact of offer frame manipulations on responders playing the ultimatum game. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 182:129-141. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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6
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Hou Q, Meng L. I am entitled to it! Social power and context modulate disadvantageous inequity aversion. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 181:150-159. [PMID: 36154950 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Previous research consistently indicated that social power influences one's fairness consideration. However, it is unclear how social power and context jointly affect inequity aversion and whether these processes would be manifested in brain activities. In this study, participants were randomly assigned into either high or low power condition and then took part in a modified ultimatum game (UG) as responders in both gain and loss contexts, with their event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded. Behavioral results showed that powerful participants were more likely to reject unfair offers in both contexts compared with powerless ones. In addition, powerful participants showed a more negative feedback-related negativity (FRN) loss-win difference wave (d-FRN) upon presentation of proposed offers compared with powerless participants only in the gain context. Interestingly, in a later time window, differences of P300 responses to proposed offers were modulated by social power in both gain and loss contexts. These results suggested that powerful people were more sensitive to fairness levels and FRN may manifest fairness consideration in a gain context, but not in a loss context. Meanwhile, P300 is sensitive to fairness considerations in both gain and loss contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinghui Hou
- School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Key Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang Meng
- School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Institute of Organizational Behavior and Organizational Neuroscience, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
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7
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Miraghaie AM, Pouretemad H, Villa AEP, Mazaheri MA, Khosrowabadi R, Lintas A. Electrophysiological Markers of Fairness and Selfishness Revealed by a Combination of Dictator and Ultimatum Games. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:765720. [PMID: 35615426 PMCID: PMC9124946 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.765720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual behavior during financial decision making is motivated by fairness, but an unanswered question from previous studies is whether particular patterns of brain activity correspond to different profiles of fairness. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 39 participants who played the role of allocators in a Dictator Game (DG) and responders in an Ultimatum Game (UG). Two very homogeneous groups were formed by fair and selfish individuals. At fronto-central cortical sites, the latency of ERP early negativity (N1) was 10 ms shorter in selfish participants than in fair participants. In fair DG players, the subsequent positive wave P2 suggested that more cognitive resources were required when they allocated the least gains to the other party. P2 latency and amplitude in the selfish group supported the hypothesis that these participants tended to maximize their profit. During UG, we observed that medial frontal negativity (MFN) occurred earlier and with greater amplitude when selfish participants rejected less favorable endowment shares. In this case, all players received zero payoffs, which showed that MFN in selfish participants was associated with a spiteful punishment. At posterior-parietal sites, we found that the greater the selfishness, the greater the amplitude of the late positive component (LPC). Our results bring new evidence to the existence of specific somatic markers associated with the activation of distinct cerebral circuits by the evaluation of fair and unfair proposals in participants characterized by different expressions of perceived fairness, thus suggesting that a particular brain dynamics could be associated with moral decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali M. Miraghaie
- Faculty of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- NeuroHeuristic Research Group, HEC-Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Ali M. Miraghaie
| | - Hamidreza Pouretemad
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Hamidreza Pouretemad
| | - Alessandro E. P. Villa
- NeuroHeuristic Research Group, HEC-Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mohammad A. Mazaheri
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Khosrowabadi
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alessandra Lintas
- NeuroHeuristic Research Group, HEC-Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- LABEX, HEC-Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Alessandra Lintas
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8
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Li J, Liu L, Sun Y, Fan W, Li M, Zhong Y. Exposure to money modulates neural responses to outcome evaluations involving social reward. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:111-121. [PMID: 32064532 PMCID: PMC7171377 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research suggests that exposure to monetary cues strengthens an individual's motivation to pursue monetary rewards by inducing the 'market mode' (i.e. thinking and behaving in accordance with market principles). Here, we examined the effect of market mode on social reward processes by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants primed with monetary images or neutral images acted as advisors who selected one of two options for a putative advisee. Subsequently, all participants passively observed the advisee accepting or rejecting their advice and receiving a gain or loss outcome. After money priming, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) to the advisee's gain/loss outcome was larger following incorrect as compared to correct advice irrespective of whether the advice had been accepted or rejected. A smaller P3 following incorrect advice showed only when the advice was rejected. After neutral priming, the FRN was larger for incorrect relative to correct advice only when the advice had been rejected. However, the P3 was larger for correct relative to incorrect advice irrespective of the advisee's final choice. These findings suggest that the market mode facilitates early and automatic feedback processing but reduces later and controlled responding to outcomes that had been accepted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China.,Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Lei Liu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yu Sun
- Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China.,Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Wei Fan
- Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China.,Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Mei Li
- Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China.,Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
| | - Yiping Zhong
- Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China.,Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081, China
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Ouyang H, Yu J, Duan J, Zheng L, Li L, Guo X. Empathy-based tolerance towards poor norm violators in third-party punishment. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:2171-2180. [PMID: 33978785 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06128-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Third-party punishment (TPP) plays an important role in fairness norm enforcement. This study investigated how the economic status of proposers could modulate third parties' behavioural and neural responses to unfairness. Participants played a TPP game as third parties deciding whether to punish proposers after observing the offers from proposers while behavioural and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded. The proposers were of either high economic status or low economic status, and the recipients were middle class. The behavioural results indicated that participants reported decreased punishment for poor-proposed unfair offers compared to rich-proposed unfair offers, and this effect was stronger for highly unfair offers. Neurally, greater P200, a component involved in empathy processing, was observed in response to highly unfair offers (i.e. 90:10 and 80:20) proposed by the poor, suggesting that when the targets of severe punishments were poor proposers, participants showed greater empathy for poor norm violators in highly unfair trials. Taken together, these findings help to elucidate that the third-parties tend to tolerate the norm-violating behaviours conducted by the poor and provided further neuroscience evidence for the influence of economic status of proposers on TPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Ouyang
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Jipeng Duan
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Zheng
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. .,Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. .,National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Lin Li
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. .,National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiuyan Guo
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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10
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Chen XJ, Geagea A, Park J, Kwak Y. Cultural modulation of early attentional responses to positive self-information: An ERP investigation of self-enhancement. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 158:34-44. [PMID: 33065140 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Westerners show a strong tendency to view themselves in a positive light (i.e., self-enhancement), but this tendency is substantially weaker among East Asians. At present, however, it remains inconclusive whether this cultural difference reflects genuine variation in spontaneous engagement in this motivational tendency or is driven by individuals' deliberate efforts to present oneself in culturally acceptable ways. In the present research, we sought to address this issue by examining whether culture modulates early attentional bias to self-name, presented in the context of positive (vs. negative) situations. Both European American and Asian American participants (N = 64) read a series of scenarios depicting either a positive or a negative life situation and were subsequently presented with their name or names of famous people or strangers. European Americans showed greater P2, an ERP component of early attentional arousal, when the self-name was primed with positive (vs. negative) situations. In contrast, Asian Americans' P2 in response to the self-name was not moderated by situation primes. Moreover, the degree to which P2 was enhanced in positive (vs. negative) situations was negatively correlated with Asian cultural values. These results demonstrate that cultural variation in self-enhancement may reflect genuine beliefs about the self, manifested automatically at an early stage of attentional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing-Jie Chen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States of America
| | - Amanda Geagea
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States of America
| | - Jiyoung Park
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, United States of America.
| | - Youngbin Kwak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States of America.
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11
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Colle L, Dimaggio G, Carcione A, Nicolò G, Semerari A, Chiavarino C. Do Competitive Contexts Affect Mindreading Performance? Front Psychol 2020; 11:1284. [PMID: 32655451 PMCID: PMC7324785 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mindreading is contingent upon interpersonal context. Little is known about how competitive contexts influence mindreading skills. The idea was that the capacity to think about mental states would decline when individuals experiencing failure in competition. This study aims to assess effects of a competitive experience (a computer competitive PC game) on a sample of healthy subjects (119 participants). The sample was divided into two sub-samples. The experimental group underwent an experience of failure, consisting in a PC game of logic against a hypothetical opponent. The control group was required instead only to discuss past personal experiences of competitive interactions. The Metacognitive Assessment Interview was administered to each sub-sample for evaluating mindreading capacities. Self-report tests were additionally provided for evaluation of trait-based dispositions: self-esteem, perfectionism, narcissism. Results supported our hypothesis: induction of sense of failure compromises ability to describe one’s own mental states and mental states of others. This effect was more pronounced in the domain of self-reflection. Results remained significant after controlling for self-esteem, perfectionism, and narcissism. We discuss possible clinical implications of these findings and the importance of evaluating mindreading capacities under the pressure of social rank as well as of other social motive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Colle
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,III Centro Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Claudia Chiavarino
- Istituto Universitario Salesiano Torino Rebaudengo (IUSTO), Turin, Italy
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