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Christian P, Kaiser J, Taylor PC, George M, Schütz-Bosbach S, Soutschek A. Belief Updating during Social Interactions: Neural Dynamics and Causal Role of Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1669232024. [PMID: 38649270 PMCID: PMC11140663 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1669-23.2024] [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: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In competitive interactions, humans have to flexibly update their beliefs about another person's intentions in order to adjust their own choice strategy, such as when believing that the other may exploit their cooperativeness. Here we investigate both the neural dynamics and the causal neural substrate of belief updating processes in humans. We used an adapted prisoner's dilemma game in which participants explicitly predicted the coplayer's actions, which allowed us to quantify the prediction error between expected and actual behavior. First, in an EEG experiment, we found a stronger medial frontal negativity (MFN) for negative than positive prediction errors, suggesting that this medial frontal ERP component may encode unexpected defection of the coplayer. The MFN also predicted subsequent belief updating after negative prediction errors. In a second experiment, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate whether the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) causally implements belief updating after unexpected outcomes. Our results show that dmPFC TMS impaired belief updating and strategic behavioral adjustments after negative prediction errors. Taken together, our findings reveal the time course of the use of prediction errors in social decisions and suggest that the dmPFC plays a crucial role in updating mental representations of others' intentions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Christian
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 82152, Germany
| | - Jakob Kaiser
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
| | - Paul Christopher Taylor
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 82152, Germany
| | - Michelle George
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
| | - Simone Schütz-Bosbach
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 82152, Germany
| | - Alexander Soutschek
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 80802, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich 82152, Germany
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2
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Ibanez A, Matallana D, Miller B. Can prosocial values improve brain health? Front Neurol 2023; 14:1202173. [PMID: 37342774 PMCID: PMC10278355 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1202173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Prosocial values play a critical role in promoting care and concern for the well-being of others and prioritizing the common good of society. Evidence from population-based reports, cognitive neuroscience, and clinical studies suggests that these values depend on social cognition processes, such as empathy, deontological moral cognition, moral emotions, and social cooperation. Additionally, indirect evidence suggests that various forms of prosocial behaviors are associated with positive health outcomes at the behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, stress-related, and inflammatory pathways. However, it is unclear whether prosociality can positively influence brain health outcomes. In this perspective, we propose that prosocial values are not only influenced by brain conditions but could also potentially play a role in protecting brain health. We review studies from various fields that support this claim, including recent reports of prosociality-based interventions impacting brain health. We then explore potential multilevel mechanisms, based on the reduction of allostatic overload at behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, stress-related, and inflammatory levels. Finally, we propose potential prosociality-based interventions for improving brain health in at-risk populations, such as psychiatric and neurological patients, and individuals exposed to poverty or violence. Our perspective suggests that prosocial values may play a role in promoting and maintaining healthy brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Ibanez
- Latin American Institute for Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Adolfo Ibanez University, Santiago, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, and National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Diana Matallana
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Instituto de Envejecimiento, Bogotá, Colombia
- Memory and Cognition Center, Intellectus, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Bruce Miller
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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3
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Cui F, Huang X, Liu J, Luo YJ, Gu R. Threat-induced anxiety and selfishness in resource sharing: Behavioral and neural evidence. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:3859-3872. [PMID: 37086449 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26318] [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: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In real life, it is not unusual that we face potential threats (i.e., physical stimuli and environments that may cause harm or danger) with other individuals together, yet it remains largely unknown how threat-induced anxious feelings influence prosocial behaviors such as resource sharing. In this study, we investigated this question by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging and a novel paradigm. Together with an anonymous partner, each participant faced the possibility of receiving a 10-s noise administration, which had a low or high probability to be a threat (i.e., the intensity of noise can induce a high level of unpleasantness). Each participant first reported her/his immediate feeling of anxiety about the current situation (being threatened by the unpleasant noise), then decided how to split a number of resources (which could relieve the noise) between her/him and the partner. Behavioral results revealed that the participants showed a selfish bias in the threat conditions than in the safe conditions, and that self-reported anxiety feeling significantly predicted this bias. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results revealed that: (1) the activation level of the anterior insula was correlated with self-reported anxiety and (2) the connectivity between the anterior insula and the temporoparietal junction was sensitive to the modulating effect of anxiety on the selfish bias. These findings indicate the neural correlates of the association between threat-induced anxiety and prosocial tendencies in social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Cui
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Huang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Liu
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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4
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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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5
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Dynamic neural reconfiguration for distinct strategies during competitive social interactions. Neuroimage 2022; 263:119585. [PMID: 36030063 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119585] [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: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Information exchange between brain regions is key to understanding information processing for social decision-making, but most analyses ignore its dynamic nature. New insights on this dynamic might help us to uncover the neural correlates of social cognition in the healthy population and also to understand the malfunctioning neural computations underlying dysfunctional social behavior in patients with mental disorders. In this work, we used a multi-round bargaining game to detect switches between distinct bargaining strategies in a cohort of 76 healthy participants. These switches were uncovered by dynamic behavioral modeling using the hidden Markov model. Proposing a novel model of dynamic effective connectivity to estimate the information flow between key brain regions, we found a stronger interaction between the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) for the strategic deception compared with the social heuristic strategies. The level of deception was associated with the information flow from the Brodmann area 10 to the rTPJ, and this association was modulated by the rTPJ-to-rDLPFC information flow. These findings suggest that dynamic bargaining strategy is supported by dynamic reconfiguration of the rDLPFC-and-rTPJ interaction during competitive social interactions.
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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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7
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Cooperative Behavior Evokes Interbrain Synchrony in the Prefrontal and Temporoparietal Cortex: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of fNIRS Hyperscanning Studies. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0268-21.2022. [PMID: 35365502 PMCID: PMC9014979 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0268-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-brain neuroimaging studies have shown that human cooperation is associated with neural activity in frontal and temporoparietal regions. However, it remains unclear whether single-brain studies are informative about cooperation in real life, where people interact dynamically. Such dynamic interactions have become the focus of interbrain studies. An advantageous technique in this regard is functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) because it is less susceptible to movement artifacts than more conventional techniques like electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We conducted a systematic review and the first quantitative meta-analysis of fNIRS hyperscanning of cooperation, based on thirteen studies with 890 human participants. Overall, the meta-analysis revealed evidence of statistically significant interbrain synchrony while people were cooperating, with large overall effect sizes in both frontal and temporoparietal areas. All thirteen studies observed significant interbrain synchrony in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), suggesting that this region is particularly relevant for cooperative behavior. The consistency in these findings is unlikely to be because of task-related activations, given that the relevant studies used diverse cooperation tasks. Together, the present findings support the importance of interbrain synchronization of frontal and temporoparietal regions in interpersonal cooperation. Moreover, the present article highlights the usefulness of meta-analyses as a tool for discerning patterns in interbrain dynamics.
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8
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Yu F, Zhao Y, Yao J, Farina Briamonte M, Profita S, Liu Y. Understanding East-West Cultural Differences on Perceived Compensation Fairness Among Executives: From a Neuroscience Perspective. Front Psychol 2022; 12:815641. [PMID: 35185709 PMCID: PMC8847769 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.815641] [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: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive neuroscience research has found that individuals from different cultures have different neural responses and emotional perceptions. Differences in executives’ perception of external pay gaps in different cultures can affect their work attitudes and behavior. In this study, we explore the direct relationship between executive compensation fairness and executive innovation motivation. We also investigate the moderating effects of Confucian culture and western culture between executive compensation fairness and executive innovation motivation. Data were collected from the Chinese listed firms from 2011 to 2019 and test the relationship using the fixed-effect panel regression models. The results demonstrate that executive compensation fairness positively influences the executive innovation motivation. This effect is more pronounced in Confucian culture regions, while Western culture weakens this effect. The findings of this study confirmed that executive compensation fairness, provide a cross-cultural comparison for compensation research, validate the findings of cultural neuroscience, and provide useful insights into the research of common prosperity. To improve the corporate compensation structure, it is necessary to consider the relative pay equity with firms in the same region and the influence of corporate culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Yu
- Business School, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, China
| | - Ying Zhao
- Zhonghua Vocational College, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, China
| | - Jianfeng Yao
- Business School, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, China
| | | | - Sofia Profita
- Financial Sponsors Group of Santander Bank, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yuhan Liu
- Business College, Beijing Union University, Beijing, China
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9
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Jiang M, Wang M, Shi Q, Wei L, Lin Y, Wu D, Liu B, Nie X, Qiao H, Xu L, Yang T, Wang Z. Evolution and neural representation of mammalian cooperative behavior. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110029. [PMID: 34788618 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation is common in nature and is pivotal to the development of human society. However, the details of how and why cooperation evolved remain poorly understood. Cross-species investigation of cooperation may help to elucidate the evolution of cooperative strategies. Thus, we design an automated cooperative behavioral paradigm and quantitatively examine the cooperative abilities and strategies of mice, rats, and tree shrews. We find that social communication plays a key role in the establishment of cooperation and that increased cooperative ability and a more efficient cooperative strategy emerge as a function of the evolutionary hierarchy of the tested species. Moreover, we demonstrate that single-unit activities in the orbitofrontal and prelimbic cortex in rats represent neural signals that may be used to distinguish between the cooperative and non-cooperative tasks, and such signals are distinct from the reward signals. Both signals may represent distinct components of the internal drive for cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengping Jiang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Miaoyaoxin Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qianqian Shi
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lei Wei
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yongqin Lin
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dingcheng Wu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Boyi Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiupeng Nie
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms and Laboratory of Learning and Memory, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Hong Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Management and Control for Complex Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lin Xu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms and Laboratory of Learning and Memory, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Tianming Yang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Zuoren Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science & Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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10
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Zhang D, Shen J, Li S, Gao K, Gu R. I, robot: depression plays different roles in human-human and human-robot interactions. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:438. [PMID: 34420040 PMCID: PMC8380250 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01567-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Socially engaging robots have been increasingly applied to alleviate depressive symptoms and to improve the quality of social life among different populations. Seeing that depression negatively influences social reward processing in everyday interaction, we investigate this influence during simulated interactions with humans or robots. In this study, 35 participants with mild depression and 35 controls (all from nonclinical populations) finished the social incentive delay task with event-related potential recording, in which they received performance feedback from other persons or from a robot. Compared to the controls, the mild depressive symptom (MDS) group represented abnormalities of social reward processing in the human feedback condition: first, the MDS group showed a lower hit rate and a smaller contingent-negative variation (correlated with each other) during reward anticipation; second, depression level modulated both the early phase (indexed by the feedback-related negativity (FRN)) and the late phase (indexed by the P3) of reward consumption. In contrast, the effect of depression was evident only on FRN amplitude in the robot feedback condition. We suggest that compared to human-human interaction, the rewarding properties of human-robot interaction are less likely to be affected by depression. These findings have implications for the utilization of robot-assisted intervention in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Junshi Shen
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
| | - Sijin Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kexiang Gao
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, 100101, Beijing, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
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11
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Yang X, Wang W, Wang XT, Wang YW. A meta-analysis of hormone administration effects on cooperative behaviours: Oxytocin, vasopressin, and testosterone. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:430-443. [PMID: 33819546 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The hormones oxytocin, vasopressin, and testosterone have been implicated in cooperative behaviours and have attracted increasing research interest for their potential to regulate human cooperation in both healthy and clinical populations. However, the behavioural effects of the administration of these hormones remain to be verified. The current analysis included 41 studies involving 3,269 participants with a narrow age range. We examined the administration effects of these hormones on cooperative behaviour and the regulatory effects of individual characteristics, hormone interventions, and task structure and context. Results revealed a moderate positive effect size of oxytocin intranasal administration, a large negative effect size of vasopressin intranasal administration, and nonsignificant effects of testosterone administration on cooperative behaviours. Participants with mental dysfunctions were less sensitive to oxytocin and vasopressin administration. Oxytocin administration was effective in an in-group situation and for initial choices, corroborating a Tit-for-Tat strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Yang
- School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China; Institute of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Xiao Tian Wang
- School of Humanities and Social Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China.
| | - Yi Wen Wang
- School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China; Institute of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
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12
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The Effect of Centralized Financial and Social Incentives on Cooperative Behavior and Its Underlying Neural Mechanisms. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11030317. [PMID: 33801568 PMCID: PMC7998905 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11030317] [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: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Incentives are frequently used by governments and employers to encourage cooperation. Here, we investigated the effect of centralized incentives on cooperation, firstly in a behavioral study and then replicated in a subsequent neuroimaging (fMRI) study. In both studies, participants completed a novel version of the Public Goods Game, including experimental conditions in which the administration of centralized incentives was probabilistic and incentives were either of a financial or social nature. Behavioral results showed that the prospect of potentially receiving financial and social incentives significantly increased cooperation, with financial incentives yielding the strongest effect. Neuroimaging results showed that activation in the bilateral lateral orbitofrontal cortex and precuneus increased when participants were informed that incentives would be absent versus when they were present. Furthermore, activation in the medial orbitofrontal cortex increased when participants would potentially receive a social versus a financial incentive. These results speak to the efficacy of different types of centralized incentives in increasing cooperative behavior, and they show that incentives directly impact the neural mechanisms underlying cooperation.
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13
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Modulating the activity of right temporo-parietal junction by anodal tDCS enhances the agent's repayment in hold-up game. Brain Res Bull 2020; 168:17-24. [PMID: 33370587 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Hold-up problem is very common in non-contractible relation-specific investment transactions. And this problem can affect by trust, cooperation and altruism behavior of human beings. Recent neuroscience researches had explored a network of right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) involved in human cooperation and altruism behavior. The purpose of this study is to modulate the activation of rTPJ through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and to study the influence of rTPJ on investment and offer behavior in hold-up game. The results of our study showed that the anodal stimulation significantly increased participants' offer compared with the cathodal and sham stimulation. A possible explanation is that changes in rTPJ activity induced by anodal stimulation improve the accuracy of agents' mental reasoning and promote cooperation by influencing agents' offer behavior.
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14
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Balconi M, Fronda G. Morality and management: an oxymoron? fNIRS and neuromanagement perspective explain us why things are not like this. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:1336-1348. [PMID: 33123863 PMCID: PMC7716886 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00841-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The neuroscience interest for moral decision-making has recently increased. To investigate the processes underlying moral behavior, this research aimed to investigate neurophysiological and behavioral correlates of decision-making in moral contexts. Specifically, functional Near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allowed to record oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenated (HHb) cerebral hemoglobin concentrations during different moral conditions (professional fit, company fit, social fit) and offers types (fair, unfair, neutral). Moreover, individuals' responses to offers types and reaction time (RTs) were considered. Specifically, from hemodynamic results emerged a difference in O2Hb and HHb activity according to moral conditions and offers types in different brain regions. In particular, O2Hb increase and a HHb decrease were observed in ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (VMPFC, DLPFC) for fair offers in professional fit condition and in superior temporal sulcus (STS) for unfair offers in social fit condition. Moreover, an increase of left O2Hb activity in professional fit condition and in right VMPFC for unfair offers in company fit condition was observed. In addition, from behavioral results, an RTs increase in company and social fit condition for fair and unfair offers emerged. This study, therefore, shows the behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of moral decision-making that guide moral behavior in different context, such as company one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Balconi
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Fronda
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
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15
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Krol KM, Grossmann T. Impression Formation in the Human Infant Brain. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa070. [PMID: 33134930 PMCID: PMC7592636 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Forming an impression of another person is an essential aspect of human social cognition linked to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function in adults. The current study examined the neurodevelopmental origins of impression formation by testing the hypothesis that infants rely on processes localized in mPFC when forming impressions about individuals who appear friendly or threatening. Infants’ brain responses were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy while watching 4 different face identities displaying either smiles or frowns directed toward or away from them (N = 77). This was followed by a looking preference test for these face identities (now displaying a neutral expression) using eyetracking. Our results show that infants’ mPFC responses distinguish between smiling and frowning faces when directed at them and that these responses predicted their subsequent person preferences. This suggests that the mPFC is involved in impression formation in human infants, attesting to the early ontogenetic emergence of brain systems supporting person perception and adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Krol
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Tobias Grossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
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16
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Vanutelli ME, Meroni F, Fronda G, Balconi M, Lucchiari C. Gender Differences and Unfairness Processing during Economic and Moral Decision-Making: A fNIRS Study. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E647. [PMID: 32957723 PMCID: PMC7564687 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10090647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Decisional conflicts have been investigated with social decision-making tasks, which represent good models to elicit social and emotional dynamics, including fairness perception. To explore these issues, we created two modified versions of the UG framed within an economic vs. a moral context that included two kinds of unfair offers: advantageous (upside, U) or disadvantageous (downside, D) from the responder's perspective, and vice-versa for the proponent. The hemodynamic activity of 36 participants, 20 females and 16 males, was continuously recorded with fNIRS to investigate the presence of general or specific circuits between the different experimental conditions. Results showed that disadvantageous offers (D) are associated with an increased widespread cortical activation. Furthermore, we found that advantageous moral choices at the expense of others (U) were related to the activation of the right prefrontal cortex. Finally, we found gender-related differences in brain activations in the different frameworks. In particular, the DLPFC was recruited by females during the economic task, and by males during the moral frame. In conclusion, the present study confirmed and expanded previous data about the role of the prefrontal cortices in decision-making, suggesting the need for further studies to understand better the different prefrontal networks serving moral and economic decisions also considering gender-related differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elide Vanutelli
- Department of Philosophy, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (F.M.); (C.L.)
- Research Unit in Social and Affective Neuroscience, Catholic University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.F.); (M.B.)
| | - Francesca Meroni
- Department of Philosophy, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (F.M.); (C.L.)
| | - Giulia Fronda
- Research Unit in Social and Affective Neuroscience, Catholic University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.F.); (M.B.)
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Balconi
- Research Unit in Social and Affective Neuroscience, Catholic University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.F.); (M.B.)
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Lucchiari
- Department of Philosophy, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (F.M.); (C.L.)
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17
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Iwamoto SK, Alexander M, Torres M, Irwin MR, Christakis NA, Nishi A. Mindfulness Meditation Activates Altruism. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6511. [PMID: 32300129 PMCID: PMC7162971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62652-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety, depression, and stress, and improves emotion regulation due to modulation of activity in neural substrates linked to the regulation of emotions and social preferences. However, less was known about whether mindfulness meditation might alter pro-social behavior. Here we examined whether mindfulness meditation activates human altruism, a component of social cooperation. Using a simple donation game, which is a real-world version of the Dictator's Game, we randomly assigned 326 subjects to a mindfulness meditation online session or control and measured their willingness to donate a portion of their payment for participation as a charitable donation. Subjects who underwent the meditation treatment donated at a 2.61 times higher rate than the control (p = 0.005), after controlling for socio-demographics. We also found a larger treatment effect of meditation among those who did not go to college (p < 0.001) and those who were under 25 years of age (p < 0.001), with both subject groups contributing virtually nothing in the control condition. Our results imply high context modularity of human altruism and the development of intervention approaches including mindfulness meditation to increase social cooperation, especially among subjects with low baseline willingness to contribute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sage K Iwamoto
- College of Letters & Sciences, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
- Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, Los Angeles, CA, 90035, United States
| | - Marcus Alexander
- Human Nature Lab, Yale Institute for Network Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06514, United States
| | - Mark Torres
- Human Nature Lab, Yale Institute for Network Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06514, United States
| | - Michael R Irwin
- Mindful Awareness Research Center and Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience at UCLA, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
| | - Nicholas A Christakis
- Human Nature Lab, Yale Institute for Network Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06514, United States
- Departments of Sociology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Medicine, Statistics and Data Science, and Biomedical Engineering, Yale Institute for Network Science, P.O. Box 208263, New Haven, CT, 06520-8263, United States
| | - Akihiro Nishi
- Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States.
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18
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Speitel C, Traut-Mattausch E, Jonas E. Functions of the right DLPFC and right TPJ in proposers and responders in the ultimatum game. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:263-270. [PMID: 30690558 PMCID: PMC6399615 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 11/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies explored a network of brain regions involved in economic decision making. The present study focuses on two of those regions, each relevant for specific and distinct functions in economic decision making: the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC). In two experiments using transcranial direct current stimulation, we explored two proposed functions of these areas in bargaining situations using the ultimatum game (UG): understanding the others perspective and integration of fairness norms. Participants first took the role of the proposer and then the role of the responder. We showed that stimulation of the rTPJ only affected the proposer condition. Interestingly, inhibition of the rTPJ led to fairer offers, which strengthens the view that the role of the rTPJ in bargaining situations is to differentiate one’s own from the other’s perspective. Furthermore, we argue that the rDLPFC is most likely involved in suppressing self-interest when a person is confronted with a direct reward but does not play a role in long-term reward anticipation or integrating social fairness norms. We conclude that self-interest inhibition is shown only in responders, and that perspective taking seems to be a necessary specifically for proposers in the UG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin Speitel
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Strasse, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eva Traut-Mattausch
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Strasse, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eva Jonas
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Strasse, Salzburg, Austria
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19
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Yang Z, Zheng Y, Yang G, Li Q, Liu X. Neural signatures of cooperation enforcement and violation: a coordinate-based meta-analysis. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 14:919-931. [PMID: 31593233 PMCID: PMC6917027 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The social norms of fairness and reciprocity are fundamental to cooperation and constitute core behavioral principles. Warm glow theory suggests that cooperative behavior is driven by positive emotions, whereas inequity aversion theory proposes that cooperative behavior is necessary to avoid negative feelings. However, the precise characteristics underlying the enforcement (fairness or reciprocity) and violation (unfairness or betrayal) of cooperation remain elusive. Moreover, whether the neural mechanism of cooperation as a partner or a spectator is the same remains unclear. To resolve the above issues, we summarized the findings of human cooperation neuroimaging studies through a meta-analysis. Based on our results, cooperation enforcement activates reward-related brain areas, such as the striatum and orbitofrontal cortex, only during other-cooperation. In contrast, cooperation violation is associated with the negative emotion-related insula in both self- and other-noncooperation. Thus, people expect others to cooperate rather than themselves; however, people are disgusted when cooperation is violated by themselves or others. Taken together, cooperative behavior might be mainly driven by a process designed to avoid negative emotion, which supports the inequity aversion theory but not the warm glow theory, thereby improving our understanding of cooperation theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, 100101, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Ya Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, 116044, Dalian, China
| | - Guochun Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, 100101, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, 100101, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Xun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, 100101, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
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20
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Balconi M, Fronda G. Physiological Correlates of Moral Decision-Making in the Professional Domain. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9090229. [PMID: 31514304 PMCID: PMC6770694 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9090229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Moral decision-making is central to guide our social behavior, and it is based on emotional and cognitive reasoning processes. In the present research, we investigated the moral decision-making in a company context by the recording of autonomic responses (skin conductance response, heart rate frequency, and variability), in three different moral conditions (professional fit, company fit, social fit) and three different offers (fair, unfair, neutral). In particular, the first professional fit condition required participants to accept or reject some offers proposing the money subdivision for a work done together with a colleague. The second company fit condition required participants to evaluate offers regarding the investment of a part of the money in the introduction of some company’s benefits. Finally, the third social fit condition required participants to accept or refuse a money subdivision to support a colleague’s relative with health problems financially. Results underlined the significant effect of both the condition, with increased autonomic effects more for personal and social than company fit, and the offer type, with differences for fair and neutral offers compared to unfair ones. This research shows how individual, situational, and contextual factors influence moral decision-making in a company context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Balconi
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy.
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy.
| | - Giulia Fronda
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy.
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy.
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21
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Bottemanne L, Dreher JC. Vicarious Rewards Modulate the Drift Rate of Evidence Accumulation From the Drift Diffusion Model. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:142. [PMID: 31312125 PMCID: PMC6614513 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Taking other people's interests into account is a fundamental ability allowing humans to maintain relationships. Yet, the mechanisms by which monetary incentives for close others influence perceptual decision-making processes remain elusive. Here, we compared perceptual decisions motivated by payoffs for oneself or a close relative. According to drift diffusion models (DDMs), perceptual decisions are made when sensory evidence accumulated over time - with a given drift rate - reaches one of the decision boundaries. We used these computational models to identify whether the drift rate of evidence accumulation or the decision boundary is affected by these two sources of motivation. Reaction times and sensitivity were modulated by three factors: the Difficulty (motion coherence of the moving dots), the Payoff associated with, and the Beneficiary of the decision. Reaction times (RTs) were faster for easy compared to difficult trials and faster for high payoffs as compared to low payoffs. More interestingly, RTs were also faster for self than for other-affecting decisions. Finally, using DDM, we found that these faster RTs were linked to a higher drift rate of the decision variable. This study offers a mechanistic understanding of how incentives for others and motion coherence influence decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Bottemanne
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision-Making Team, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron, France
| | - Jean-Claude Dreher
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision-Making Team, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron, France
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22
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Lee M, Ahn HS, Kwon SK, Kim SI. Cooperative and Competitive Contextual Effects on Social Cognitive and Empathic Neural Responses. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:218. [PMID: 29950978 PMCID: PMC6008551 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We aimed to differentiate the neural responses to cooperative and competitive contexts, which are the two of the most important social contexts in human society. Healthy male college students were asked to complete a Tetris-like task requiring mental rotation skills under individual, cooperative, and competitive contexts in an fMRI scanner. While the participants completed the task, pictures of others experiencing pain evoking emotional empathy randomly appeared to capture contextual effects on empathic neural responses. Behavioral results indicated that, in the presence of cooperation, participants solved the tasks more accurately and quickly than what they did when in the presence of competition. The fMRI results revealed activations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) related to executive functions and theory of mind when participants performed the task under both cooperative and competitive contexts, whereas no activation of such areas was observed in the individual context. Cooperation condition exhibited stronger neural responses in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dmPFC than competition condition. Competition condition, however, showed marginal neural responses in the cerebellum and anterior insular cortex (AIC). The two social contexts involved stronger empathic neural responses to other's pain than the individual context, but no substantial differences between cooperation and competition were present. Regions of interest analyses revealed that individual's trait empathy modulated the neural activity in the state empathy network, the AIC, and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) depending on the social context. These results suggest that cooperation improves task performance and activates neural responses associated with reward and mentalizing. Furthermore, the interaction between trait- and state-empathy was explored by correlation analyses between individual's trait empathy score and changing empathic brain activations along with the exposure to the cooperative and competitive social contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhye Lee
- Department of Education, Brain and Motivation Research Institute (bMRI), Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyun Seon Ahn
- Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Soon Koo Kwon
- Education Performance Evaluation Center, Dankook University, Yongin, South Korea
| | - Sung-il Kim
- Department of Education, Brain and Motivation Research Institute (bMRI), Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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23
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Melloni M, Billeke P, Baez S, Hesse E, de la Fuente L, Forno G, Birba A, García-Cordero I, Serrano C, Plastino A, Slachevsky A, Huepe D, Sigman M, Manes F, García AM, Sedeño L, Ibáñez A. Your perspective and my benefit: multiple lesion models of self-other integration strategies during social bargaining. Brain 2017; 139:3022-3040. [PMID: 27679483 DOI: 10.1093/brain/aww231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Recursive social decision-making requires the use of flexible, context-sensitive long-term strategies for negotiation. To succeed in social bargaining, participants' own perspectives must be dynamically integrated with those of interactors to maximize self-benefits and adapt to the other's preferences, respectively. This is a prerequisite to develop a successful long-term self-other integration strategy. While such form of strategic interaction is critical to social decision-making, little is known about its neurocognitive correlates. To bridge this gap, we analysed social bargaining behaviour in relation to its structural neural correlates, ongoing brain dynamics (oscillations and related source space), and functional connectivity signatures in healthy subjects and patients offering contrastive lesion models of neurodegeneration and focal stroke: behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and frontal lesions. All groups showed preserved basic bargaining indexes. However, impaired self-other integration strategy was found in patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and frontal lesions, suggesting that social bargaining critically depends on the integrity of prefrontal regions. Also, associations between behavioural performance and data from voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed a critical role of prefrontal regions in value integration and strategic decisions for self-other integration strategy. Furthermore, as shown by measures of brain dynamics and related sources during the task, the self-other integration strategy was predicted by brain anticipatory activity (alpha/beta oscillations with sources in frontotemporal regions) associated with expectations about others' decisions. This pattern was reduced in all clinical groups, with greater impairments in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and frontal lesions than Alzheimer's disease. Finally, connectivity analysis from functional magnetic resonance imaging evidenced a fronto-temporo-parietal network involved in successful self-other integration strategy, with selective compromise of long-distance connections in frontal disorders. In sum, this work provides unprecedented evidence of convergent behavioural and neurocognitive signatures of strategic social bargaining in different lesion models. Our findings offer new insights into the critical roles of prefrontal hubs and associated temporo-parietal networks for strategic social negotiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Melloni
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Billeke
- División de Neurociencia, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social (CICS), Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sandra Baez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eugenia Hesse
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Ingeniería Biomédica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura de la Fuente
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gonzalo Forno
- Gerosciences Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile.,Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Santiago, Chile
| | - Agustina Birba
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Indira García-Cordero
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Angelo Plastino
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National University of La Plata, Physics Institute, (IFLP-CCT-CONICET) La Plata, 1900, Argentina.,Physics Department, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Andrea Slachevsky
- Gerosciences Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile.,Physiopathology Department, ICBM y East Neuroscience Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Cognitive Neurology and Dementia, Neurology Department, Hospital del Salvador, Santiago, Chile.,Centre for Advanced Research in Education, Santiago, Chile.,Neurology Department, Clínica Alemana, Santiago, Chile
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mariano Sigman
- Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, IFIBA, CONICET and Physics Department, FCEyN, UBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Facundo Manes
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Adolfo M García
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Faculty of Elementary and Special Education (FEEyE), National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez, Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Santiago, Chile.,Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Barranquilla, Colombia.,Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australian Research Council (ACR), Sydney, Australia
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24
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Heijne A, Rossi F, Sanfey AG. Why we stay with our social partners: Neural mechanisms of stay/leave decision-making. Soc Neurosci 2017; 13:667-679. [PMID: 28820016 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2017.1370010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
How do we decide to keep interacting (e.g., stay) with a social partner or to switch (e.g., leave) to another? This paper investigated the neural mechanisms of stay/leave decision-making. We hypothesized that these decisions fit within a framework of value-based decision-making, and explored four potential mechanisms underlying a hypothesized bias to stay. Twenty-six participants underwent functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while completing social and nonsocial versions of a stay/leave decision-making task. On each trial, participants chose between four alternative options, after which they received a monetary reward. Crucially, in the social condition, reward magnitude was ostensibly determined by the generosity of social partners, whereas in the nonsocial condition, reward amounts were ostensibly determined in a pre-programmed manner. Results demonstrated that participants were more likely to stay with options of relatively high expected value, with these values updated through Reinforcement Learning mechanisms and represented neurally within ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we demonstrated that greater brain activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and septo-hypothalamic regions for social versus nonsocial decisions to stay may underlie a bias towards staying with social partners in particular. These findings complement existing social psychological theories by investigating the neural mechanisms of actual stay/leave decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Heijne
- a Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging , Radboud University , Nijmegen , the Netherlands.,b Department of Cognitive Science and Education , University of Trento , Rovereto , Italy
| | - Filippo Rossi
- c Institute for Neural Computation , University of California , San Diego , CA , USA
| | - Alan G Sanfey
- a Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging , Radboud University , Nijmegen , the Netherlands
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Gu R, Yang J, Shi Y, Luo Y, Luo YLL, Cai H. Be Strong Enough to Say No: Self-Affirmation Increases Rejection to Unfair Offers. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1824. [PMID: 27920742 PMCID: PMC5118568 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose that self-affirmation may endow people more psychological resources to buffer against the negative influence of rejecting unfair offers in the classic ultimatum game (UG) and further lead to a stronger tendency to reject those offers. We tested this possibility by conducting an event-related potential (ERP) study about the UG, with the ERP component P3 as an indirect indicator of psychological resources. Participants were randomly assigned to the affirmation or control condition and then completed the UG through electrophysiological recording. As expected, the behavioral data indicated that compared with unaffirmed ones, affirmed participants were more likely to reject unfair UG offers; the electrophysiological data indicated that compared to the unaffirmed, affirmed participants showed a greater P3 in response to the presentation of an offer. These findings suggest that psychological resources may play a role in rejecting others beyond the fairness concern, and additionally shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying self-affirmation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Jing Yang
- College of Tourism, Huaqiao University Quanzhou, China
| | - Yuanyuan Shi
- Faculty of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China
| | - Yi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
| | - Yu L L Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Huajian Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
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Losecaat Vermeer AB, Heerema RL, Sanfey AG. Third-Party Cooperation: How Reducing Material Involvement Enhances Contributions to the Public Good. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2016; 42:337-49. [PMID: 26865289 DOI: 10.1177/0146167216629123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Decisions to cooperate are often delegated to a third party. We examined whether cooperation differs when decisions are made for a third party compared with ourselves and specified which motives are important for third-party cooperation. Participants played multiple rounds of a public goods game (PGG). In Study 1, we varied personal involvement from high to low; participants played for themselves (Self), for themselves and a third party (Shared), and solely for a third party (Third Party). Participants contributed most when personal involvement was lowest (i.e., Third Party) and least when personal involvement was high (i.e., Self). Study 2 explored if social motives underlie third-party cooperation by comparing cooperation with social (human) and non-social (computer) group members. Reducing personal involvement in the PGG (i.e., Third Party) increased cooperation in social contexts compared with non-social contexts, indicating enhanced collective interest. Increased cooperation for a third party may result from taking the other's perspective, thereby increasing social norm preferences.
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Zhao K, Smillie LD. The Role of Interpersonal Traits in Social Decision Making. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2014; 19:277-302. [DOI: 10.1177/1088868314553709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Economic games are well-established experimental paradigms for modeling social decision making. A large body of literature has pointed to the heterogeneity of behavior within many of these games, which might be partly explained by broad interpersonal trait dispositions. Using the Big Five and HEXACO (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience) personality frameworks, we review the role of personality in two main classes of economic games: social dilemmas and bargaining games. This reveals an emerging role for Big Five agreeableness in promoting cooperative, egalitarian, and altruistic behaviors across several games, consistent with its core characteristic of maintaining harmonious interpersonal relations. The role for extraversion is less clear, which may reflect the divergent effects of its underlying agentic and affiliative motivational components. In addition, HEXACO honesty-humility and agreeableness may capture distinct aspects of prosocial behavior outside the bounds of the Five-Factor Model. Important considerations and directions for future studies are discussed within the emerging personality–economics interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Zhao
- University of Melbourne, Australia
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Edmiston EK, Merkle K, Corbett BA. Neural and cortisol responses during play with human and computer partners in children with autism. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 10:1074-83. [PMID: 25552572 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit impairment in reciprocal social interactions, including play, which can manifest as failure to show social preference or discrimination between social and nonsocial stimuli. To explore mechanisms underlying these deficits, we collected salivary cortisol from 42 children 8-12 years with ASD or typical development during a playground interaction with a confederate child. Participants underwent functional MRI during a prisoner's dilemma game requiring cooperation or defection with a human (confederate) or computer partner. Search region of interest analyses were based on previous research (e.g. insula, amygdala, temporal parietal junction-TPJ). There were significant group differences in neural activation based on partner and response pattern. When playing with a human partner, children with ASD showed limited engagement of a social salience brain circuit during defection. Reduced insula activation during defection in the ASD children relative to TD children, regardless of partner type, was also a prominent finding. Insula and TPJ BOLD during defection was also associated with stress responsivity and behavior in the ASD group under playground conditions. Children with ASD engage social salience networks less than TD children during conditions of social salience, supporting a fundamental disturbance of social engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Blythe A Corbett
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Department of Psychiatry, and Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Relationship between personality traits and brain reward responses when playing on a team. PLoS One 2014; 9:e87277. [PMID: 24475262 PMCID: PMC3903628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation is an integral part of human social life and we often build teams to achieve certain goals. However, very little is currently understood about emotions with regard to cooperation. Here, we investigated the impact of social context (playing alone versus playing on a team) on emotions while winning or losing a game. We hypothesized that activity in the reward network is modulated by the social context and that personality characteristics might impact team play. We conducted an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment that involved a simple game of dice. In the team condition, the participant played with a partner against another two-person team. In the single-player condition, the participant played alone against another player. Our results revealed that reward processing in the right amygdala was modulated by the social context. The main effect of outcome (gains versus losses) was associated with increased responses in the reward network. We also found that differences in the reward-related neural response due to social context were associated with specific personality traits. When playing on a team, increased activity in the amygdala during winning was a unique function of openness, while decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum during losing was associated with extraversion and conscientiousness, respectively. In conclusion, we provide evidence that working on a team influences the affective value of a negative outcome by attenuating the negative response associated with it in the amygdala. Our results also show that brain reward responses in a social context are affected by personality traits related to teamwork.
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