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Liu X, Jiao G, Zhou F, Kendrick KM, Yao D, Gong Q, Xiang S, Jia T, Zhang XY, Zhang J, Feng J, Becker B. A neural signature for the subjective experience of threat anticipation under uncertainty. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1544. [PMID: 38378947 PMCID: PMC10879105 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45433-6] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Uncertainty about potential future threats and the associated anxious anticipation represents a key feature of anxiety. However, the neural systems that underlie the subjective experience of threat anticipation under uncertainty remain unclear. Combining an uncertainty-variation threat anticipation paradigm that allows precise modulation of the level of momentary anxious arousal during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with multivariate predictive modeling, we train a brain model that accurately predicts subjective anxious arousal intensity during anticipation and test it across 9 samples (total n = 572, both gender). Using publicly available datasets, we demonstrate that the whole-brain signature specifically predicts anxious anticipation and is not sensitive in predicting pain, general anticipation or unspecific emotional and autonomic arousal. The signature is also functionally and spatially distinguishable from representations of subjective fear or negative affect. We develop a sensitive, generalizable, and specific neuroimaging marker for the subjective experience of uncertain threat anticipation that can facilitate model development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiqin Liu
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guojuan Jiao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Chongqing, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Dezhong Yao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Department of Radiology, West China Xiamen Hospital of Sichuan University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Shitong Xiang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianye Jia
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- The Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), ISTBI, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- SGDP Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Xiao-Yong Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, (Fudan University), Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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Kim D, Kim J, Kim H. Distinctive Roles of Medial Prefrontal Cortex Subregions in Strategic Conformity to Social Hierarchy. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6330-6341. [PMID: 37582627 PMCID: PMC10490482 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0549-23.2023] [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: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
People often align their behaviors and decisions with others' expectations, especially those of higher social positions, when they are being observed. However, little attention has been paid to the neural mechanisms underlying increased conformity to the social hierarchy under social observation. Using a preference rating task, we investigated whether and how individual preferences for novel stimuli were influenced by others' preferences by manipulating others' social hierarchy and observational context. The behavioral results showed that human participants of both sexes were more likely to change their preferences to match those of a superior partner in a public than in a private context. fMRI data revealed distinct contributions of the subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to increased conformity to social hierarchy under observation. Specifically, the ventral mPFC showed increased activity when participants' preferences aligned with those of superior partners, regardless of behavioral manifestation. The rostral mPFC showed increased activity when conforming to a superior partner and nonconforming to an inferior one, indicating goal-dependent valuation. The dorsal mPFC showed increased activity in private conditions with a superior partner but only in those with a higher tendency to conform. These findings support the hierarchical allostatic regulation model of the mPFC function for social valuation and suggest strategic conformity as a way to minimize metabolic costs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study revealed distinct roles of subregions of the mPFC in increased conformity to individuals of different social ranks under observation. Specifically, the ventral mPFC showed increased activity when participants' preferences aligned with those of higher-ranking partners, whereas the rostral mPFC showed increased activity when conforming to a superior partner and nonconforming to an inferior partner, indicating goal-dependent valuation. The dorsal mPFC was more active in private conditions with a superior partner but only in those with a higher tendency to conform. These findings support the hierarchical allostatic regulation model of the mPFC function for social valuation and suggest strategic conformity as a way to minimize metabolic costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daeeun Kim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology, Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon, Yeongcheon 38900, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
| | - JuYoung Kim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hackjin Kim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
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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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Trinh A, Dunn JD, White D. Verifying unfamiliar identities: Effects of processing name and face information in the same identity-matching task. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:92. [PMID: 36224440 PMCID: PMC9556678 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00441-2] [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: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Matching the identity of unfamiliar faces is important in applied identity verification tasks, for example when verifying photo ID at border crossings, in secure access areas, or when issuing identity credentials. In these settings, other biographical details-such as name or date of birth on an identity document-are also often compared to existing records, but the impact of these concurrent checks on decisions has not been examined. Here, we asked participants to sequentially compare name, then face information between an ID card and digital records to detect errors. Across four experiments (combined n = 274), despite being told that mismatches between written name pairs and face image pairs were independent, participants were more likely to say that face images matched when names also matched. Across all experiments, we found that this bias was unaffected by the image quality, suggesting that the source of the bias is somewhat independent of perceptual processes. In a final experiment, we show that this decisional bias was found only for name checks, but not when participants were asked to check ID card expiration dates or unrelated object names. We conclude that the bias arises from processing identity information and propose that it operates at the level of unfamiliar person identity representations. Results are interpreted in the context of theoretical models of face processing, and we discuss applied implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Trinh
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - James D. Dunn
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - David White
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2052 Australia
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5
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Ntoumanis I, Panidi K, Grebenschikova Y, Shestakova AN, Kosonogov V, Jääskeläinen IP, Kadieva D, Baran S, Klucharev V. "Expert persuasion" can decrease willingness to pay for sugar-containing food. Front Nutr 2022; 9:926875. [PMID: 35967796 PMCID: PMC9366858 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.926875] [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: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed types of eating nudges that can steer consumers toward choosing healthier options. However, most of the previously studied interventions target individual decisions and are not directed to changing consumers’ underlying perception of unhealthy food. Here, we investigate how a healthy eating call—first-person narrative by a health expert—affects individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) for sugar-free and sugar-containing food products. Participants performed two blocks of a bidding task, in which they had to bid on sweets labeled either as “sugar- free” or as “sugar-containing.” In-between the two blocks, half of the participants listened to a narrative by a dietary specialist emphasizing the health risks of sugar consumption, whereas the remaining participants listened to a control narrative irrelevant to food choices. We demonstrate that the health expert’s narrative decreased individuals’ WTP for sugar-containing food, but did not modulate their WTP for sugar- free food. Overall, our findings confirm that consumers may conform to healthy eating calls by rather devaluating unhealthy food products than by increasing the value of healthy ones. This paves the way for an avenue of innovative marketing strategies to support individuals in their food choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Ntoumanis
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ksenia Panidi
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Anna N Shestakova
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir Kosonogov
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Iiro P Jääskeläinen
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia.,Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, Espoo, Finland
| | - Dzerassa Kadieva
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sofia Baran
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vasily Klucharev
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
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6
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Mahmoodi A, Nili H, Bang D, Mehring C, Bahrami B. Distinct neurocomputational mechanisms support informational and socially normative conformity. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001565. [PMID: 35239647 PMCID: PMC8893340 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A change of mind in response to social influence could be driven by informational conformity to increase accuracy, or by normative conformity to comply with social norms such as reciprocity. Disentangling the behavioural, cognitive, and neurobiological underpinnings of informational and normative conformity have proven elusive. Here, participants underwent fMRI while performing a perceptual task that involved both advice-taking and advice-giving to human and computer partners. The concurrent inclusion of 2 different social roles and 2 different social partners revealed distinct behavioural and neural markers for informational and normative conformity. Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) BOLD response tracked informational conformity towards both human and computer but tracked normative conformity only when interacting with humans. A network of brain areas (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ)) that tracked normative conformity increased their functional coupling with the dACC when interacting with humans. These findings enable differentiating the neural mechanisms by which different types of conformity shape social changes of mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mahmoodi
- Bernstein Centre Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AM); (BB)
| | - Hamed Nili
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dan Bang
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Carsten Mehring
- Bernstein Centre Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bahador Bahrami
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail: (AM); (BB)
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7
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Molapour T, Hagan CC, Silston B, Wu H, Ramstead M, Friston K, Mobbs D. Seven computations of the social brain. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:745-760. [PMID: 33629102 PMCID: PMC8343565 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The social environment presents the human brain with the most complex information processing demands. The computations that the brain must perform occur in parallel, combine social and nonsocial cues, produce verbal and nonverbal signals and involve multiple cognitive systems, including memory, attention, emotion and learning. This occurs dynamically and at timescales ranging from milliseconds to years. Here, we propose that during social interactions, seven core operations interact to underwrite coherent social functioning; these operations accumulate evidence efficiently-from multiple modalities-when inferring what to do next. We deconstruct the social brain and outline the key components entailed for successful human-social interaction. These include (i) social perception; (ii) social inferences, such as mentalizing; (iii) social learning; (iv) social signaling through verbal and nonverbal cues; (v) social drives (e.g. how to increase one's status); (vi) determining the social identity of agents, including oneself and (vii) minimizing uncertainty within the current social context by integrating sensory signals and inferences. We argue that while it is important to examine these distinct aspects of social inference, to understand the true nature of the human social brain, we must also explain how the brain integrates information from the social world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanaz Molapour
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Cindy C Hagan
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Brian Silston
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10010, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10010 China
| | - Maxwell Ramstead
- Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A2, Canada
- Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A2, Canada
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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8
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Kim D, Kim J, Kim H. Increased Conformity to Social Hierarchy Under Public Eyes. Front Psychol 2021; 12:636801. [PMID: 34335358 PMCID: PMC8319240 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636801] [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: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Why would people conform more to others with higher social positions? People may place higher confidence in the opinions of those who rank higher in the social hierarchy, or they may wish to make better impressions on people of higher social status. We investigated how individual preferences for novel stimuli are influenced by the preferences of others in the social hierarchy and whether anonymity affects such preference changes. After manipulation of their social rank, participants were asked to indicate how much they liked or disliked a series of images. Then, they were shown the rating given to each image by a partner (either inferior or superior in social rank) and were given a chance to adjust their ratings. The participants were more likely to change their preferences to match those of a superior partner in the public vs. private condition. The tendency to conform to the views of the superior partner was stronger among those with higher social dominance orientation (SDO) and those with greater fear of negative evaluation (FNE) by others. Altogether, the findings suggest that the motivation to make better impressions on people of higher social status can be the major driver of conformity to others with higher social positions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daeeun Kim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - JuYoung Kim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hackjin Kim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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9
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Tashjian SM, Zbozinek TD, Mobbs D. A Decision Architecture for Safety Computations. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:342-354. [PMID: 33674206 PMCID: PMC8035229 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Accurately estimating safety is critical to pursuing nondefensive survival behaviors. However, little attention has been paid to how the human brain computes safety. We conceptualize a model that consists of two components: (i) threat-oriented evaluations that focus on threat value, imminence, and predictability; and (ii) self-oriented evaluations that focus on the agent's experience, strategies, and ability to control the situation. Our model points to the dynamic interaction between these two components as a mechanism of safety estimation. Based on a growing body of human literature, we hypothesize that distinct regions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) respond to threat and safety to facilitate survival decisions. We suggest safety is not an inverse of danger, but reflects independent computations that mediate defensive circuits and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Tashjian
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Tomislav D Zbozinek
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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10
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Barbato M, Almulla AA, Marotta A. The Effect of Trust on Gaze-Mediated Attentional Orienting. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1554. [PMID: 32765355 PMCID: PMC7381121 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The last two decades have witnessed growing interest in the study of social cognition and its multiple facets, including trust. Interpersonal trust is generally understood as the belief that others are not likely to harm you. When meeting strangers, judgments of trustworthiness are mostly based on fast evaluation of facial appearance, unless information about past behavior is available. In the past decade, studies have tried to understand the complex relationship between trust and gaze-cueing of attention (GCA) (i.e., attentional orienting following another person’s gaze). This review will focus on the studies that used a gaze-cueing paradigm to explore this relationship. While the predictivity of the gaze-cue seems to consistently influence trustworthiness judgments, the impact of trust on gaze-cueing is less clear. Four studies found enhanced gaze-cueing effects with trustworthy faces; one found stronger effects of gaze-cueing with faces associated with undesirable behavior, but only when the observer’s personal evaluations were taken into account. Four studies did not observe an effect of trust on gaze-cueing. Overall, studies have highlighted the complexity of this relationship, suggesting that multiple factors (including age, gender, the characteristics of the observer, and whether or not a threat is perceived) are likely to intervene in the interplay between trust and gaze-triggered attentional orienting. After discussing results in the context of existing theories of gaze-cueing and trust, we conclude that further investigation is needed to better understand this relationship and the contribution of social factors to attentional shifts guided by gaze.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariapaola Barbato
- Cognition and Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Aisha A Almulla
- Cognition and Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Andrea Marotta
- Department of Experimental Psychology and Physiology of Behaviour, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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11
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Wu H, Liu X, Hagan CC, Mobbs D. Mentalizing during social InterAction: A four component model. Cortex 2020; 126:242-252. [PMID: 32092493 PMCID: PMC7739946 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Mentalizing, conventionally defined as the process in which we infer the inner thoughts and intentions of others, is a fundamental component of human social cognition. Yet its role, and the nuanced layers involved, in real world social interaction are rarely discussed. To account for this lack of theory, we propose the interactive mentalizing theory (IMT) -to emphasize the role of metacognition in different mentalizing components. We discuss the connection between mentalizing, metacognition, and social interaction in the context of four elements of mentalizing: (i) Metacognition-inference of our own thought processes and social cognitions and which is central to all other components of mentalizing including: (ii) first-order mentalizing-inferring the thoughts and intentions of an agent's mind; (iii) personal second-order mentalizing-inference of other's mentalizing of one's own mind; (iv) Collective mentalizing: which takes at least two forms (a) vicarious mentalizing: adopting another's mentalizing of an agent (i.e., what we think others think of an agent) and (b) co-mentalizing: mentalizing about an agent in conjunction with others' mentalizing of that agent (i.e., conforming to others beliefs about another agent's internal states). The weights of these four elements is determined by metacognitive insight and confidence in one's own or another's mentalizing ability, yielding a dynamic interaction between these circuits. To advance our knowledge on mentalizing during live social interaction, we identify how these subprocesses can be organized by different target agents and facilitated by combining computational modeling and interactive brain approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, USA
| | - Xun Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
| | - Cindy C Hagan
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, USA.
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, USA; Computation and Neural Systems Program at the California Institute of Technology, USA.
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Burgos-Robles A, Gothard KM, Monfils MH, Morozov A, Vicentic A. Conserved features of anterior cingulate networks support observational learning across species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:215-228. [PMID: 31509768 PMCID: PMC6875610 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability to observe, interpret, and learn behaviors and emotions from conspecifics is crucial for survival, as it bypasses direct experience to avoid potential dangers and maximize rewards and benefits. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its extended neural connections are emerging as important networks for the detection, encoding, and interpretation of social signals during observational learning. Evidence from rodents and primates (including humans) suggests that the social interactions that occur while individuals are exposed to important information in their environment lead to transfer of information across individuals that promotes adaptive behaviors in the form of either social affiliation, alertness, or avoidance. In this review, we first showcase anatomical and functional connections of the ACC in primates and rodents that contribute to the perception of social signals. We then discuss species-specific cognitive and social functions of the ACC and differentiate between neural activity related to 'self' and 'other', extending into the difference between social signals received and processed by the self, versus observing social interactions among others. We next describe behavioral and neural events that contribute to social learning via observation. Finally, we discuss some of the neural mechanisms underlying observational learning within the ACC and its extended network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Department of Biology, Neuroscience Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Marie H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mental Health Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Alexei Morozov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Aleksandra Vicentic
- Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
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Shamay-Tsoory SG, Saporta N, Marton-Alper IZ, Gvirts HZ. Herding Brains: A Core Neural Mechanism for Social Alignment. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:174-186. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 11/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Abstract
Online reputational systems are nowadays widely and effectively adopted by several online platforms to support and improve peoples’ interactions and communication. Despite the research approached and modeled social dynamics of reputational systems in different domains, adopting different frameworks, the role played by psycho-social factors, and personality traits, determining the individual susceptibility to online reputation is still elusive. To study such mediation effects, we implemented a modified online version of the Ultimatum Game, in which participants (215 adolescents) played before as proposers, and then as responders, always knowing the reputation of their interactors. Furthermore, after the reception phase, participants could evaluate the received offers, giving positive or negative feedback to their proposers. Despite the participants’ belief they were playing with their schoolmates, the interactors’ role was always fulfilled by bots characterized by standardized behaviors. Our results show how psychological traits influence the participants’ behavior in all the game phases, as well as in the rating dynamics. Reputation seems to have a direct effect only in the allocation behavior, while, in regards the other dynamics of the game (i.e., acceptance and rating), it comes into play in a complex interaction with the psychological dimensions.
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