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Yang L, Gao Y, Ao L, Wang H, Zhou S, Liu Y. Context Modulates Perceived Fairness in Altruistic Punishment: Neural Signatures from ERPs and EEG Oscillations. Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-024-01039-1. [PMID: 38448713 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01039-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Social norms and altruistic punitive behaviours are both based on the integration of information from multiple contexts. Individual behavioural performance can be altered by loss and gain contexts, which produce different mental states and subjective perceptions. In this study, we used event-related potential and time-frequency techniques to examine performance on a third-party punishment task and to explore the neural mechanisms underlying context-dependent differences in punishment decisions. The results indicated that individuals were more likely to reject unfairness in the context of loss (vs. gain) and to increase punishment as unfairness increased. In contrast, fairness appeared to cause an early increase in cognitive control signal enhancement, as indicated by the P2 amplitude and theta oscillations, and a later increase in emotional and motivational salience during decision-making in gain vs. loss contexts, as indicated by the medial frontal negativity and beta oscillations. In summary, individuals were more willing to sanction violations of social norms in the loss context than in the gain context and rejecting unfair losses induced more equity-related cognitive conflict than accepting unfair gains, highlighting the importance of context (i.e., gain vs. loss) in equity-related social decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - Lihong Ao
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - He Wang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China
| | - Shuhang Zhou
- Meta Platform, Inc, 121 S Magnolia Ave, Apt 1, Millbrae, CA, 94030, USA
| | - Yingjie Liu
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan, Hebei province, China.
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2
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Meng Y, Jia S, Liu J, Zhang C, Wang H, Liu Y. The shorter a man is, the more he defends fairness: relative height disadvantage promoting third-party punishment-evidence from inter-brain synchronization. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae048. [PMID: 38342691 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae048] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Third-party punishment occurs in interpersonal interactions to sustain social norms, and is strongly influenced by the characteristics of the interacting individuals. During social interactions, height is the striking physical appearance features first observed, height disadvantage may critically influence men's behavior and mental health. Herein, we explored the influence of height disadvantage on third-party punishment through time-frequency analysis and electroencephalography hyperscanning. Two participants were randomly designated as the recipient and third party after height comparison and instructed to complete third-party punishment task. Compared with when the third party's height is higher than the recipient's height, when the third party's height is lower, the punishment rate and transfer amount were significantly higher. Only for highly unfair offers, the theta power was significantly greater when the third party's height was lower. The inter-brain synchronization between the recipient and the third party was significantly stronger when the third party's height was lower. Compared with the fair and medium unfair offers, the inter-brain synchronization was strongest for highly unfair offers. Our findings indicate that the height disadvantage-induced anger and reputation concern promote third-party punishment and inter-brain synchronization. This study enriches research perspective and expands the application of the theory of Napoleon complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Meng
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Shuyu Jia
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Jingyue Liu
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Chenyu Zhang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - He Wang
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
- School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district,Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
| | - Yingjie Liu
- School of Psychology and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district, Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
- School of Public Health, North China University of Science and Technology, 21 Bohai avenue, Caofeidian district,Tangshan 063000, Hebei province, China
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3
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Christian P, Kapetaniou GE, Soutschek A. Causal roles of prefrontal and temporo-parietal theta oscillations for inequity aversion. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad061. [PMID: 37930808 PMCID: PMC10642380 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad061] [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: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) and the right lateral prefrontal cortex (rLPFC) are known to play prominent roles in human social behaviour. However, it remains unknown which brain rhythms in these regions contribute to trading-off fairness norms against selfish interests as well as whether the influence of these oscillations depends on whether fairness violations are advantageous or disadvantageous for a decision maker. To answer these questions, we used non-invasive transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to determine which brain rhythms in rTPJ and rLPFC are causally involved in moderating aversion to advantageous and disadvantageous inequity. Our results show that theta oscillations in rTPJ strengthen the aversion to unequal splits, which is statistically mediated by the rTPJ's role for perspective taking. In contrast, theta tACS over rLPFC enhanced the preference for outcome-maximizing unequal choices more strongly for disadvantageous compared to advantageous outcome distributions. Taken together, we provide evidence that neural oscillations in rTPJ and rLPFC have distinct causal roles in implementing inequity aversion, which can be explained by their involvement in distinct psychological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Christian
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Georgia E Kapetaniou
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Soutschek
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
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Ziebell P, Rodrigues J, Forster A, Sanguinetti JL, Allen JJ, Hewig J. Inhibition of midfrontal theta with transcranial ultrasound explains greater approach versus withdrawal behavior in humans. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:1278-1288. [PMID: 37611659 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent reviews highlighted low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (TUS) as a promising new tool for non-invasive neuromodulation in basic and applied sciences. Our preregistered double-blind within-subjects study (N = 152) utilized TUS targeting the right prefrontal cortex, which, in earlier work, was found to positively enhance self-reported global mood, decrease negative states of self-reported emotional conflict (anxiety/worrying), and modulate related midfrontal functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in affect regulation brain networks. To further explore TUS effects on objective physiological and behavioral variables, we used a virtual T-maze task that has been established in prior studies to measure motivational conflicts regarding whether participants execute approach versus withdrawal behavior (with free-choice responses via continuous joystick movements) while allowing to record related electroencephalographic data such as midfrontal theta activity (MFT). MFT, a reliable marker of conflict representation on a neuronal level, was of particular interest to us since it has repeatedly been shown to explain related behavior, with relatively low MFT typically preceding approach-like risky behavior and relatively high MFT typically preceding withdrawal-like risk aversion. Our central hypothesis is that TUS decreases MFT in T-maze conflict situations and thereby increases approach and reduces withdrawal. Results indicate that TUS led to significant MFT decreases, which significantly explained increases in approach behavior and decreases in withdrawal behavior. This study expands TUS evidence on a physiological and behavioral level with a large sample size of human subjects, suggesting the promise of further research based on this distinct TUS-MFT-behavior link to influence conflict monitoring and its behavioral consequences. Ultimately, this can serve as a foundation for future clinical work to establish TUS interventions for emotional and motivational mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Ziebell
- University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology I, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Johannes Rodrigues
- University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology I, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - André Forster
- University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology I, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Joseph L Sanguinetti
- University of Arizona, Department of Psychology, 1503 E. University Blvd. (Building 68), Tucson (AZ) 85721, USA.
| | - John Jb Allen
- University of Arizona, Department of Psychology, 1503 E. University Blvd. (Building 68), Tucson (AZ) 85721, USA.
| | - Johannes Hewig
- University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology I, Marcusstr. 9-11, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
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Deng G, Ai H, Qin L, Xu J, Feng C, Xu P. Dissociated modulations of intranasal vasopressin on prosocial learning between reward-seeking and punishment-avoidance. Psychol Med 2023; 53:5415-5427. [PMID: 35983609 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As an integral ingredient of human sociality, prosocial behavior requires learning what acts can benefit or harm others. However, it remains unknown how individuals adjust prosocial learning to avoid punishment or to pursue reward. Given that arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a neuropeptide that has been involved in modulating various social behaviors in mammals, it could be a crucial neurochemical facilitator that supports prosocial learning. METHODS In 50 placebo controls and 54 participants with AVP administration, we examined the modulation of AVP on the prosocial learning characterized by reward and punishment framework, as well as its underlying neurocomputational mechanisms combining computational modeling, event-related potentials and oscillations. RESULTS We found a self-bias that individuals learn to avoid punishment asymmetrically more severely than reward-seeking. Importantly, AVP increased behavioral performances and learning rates when making decisions to avoid losses for others and to obtain gains for self. These behavioral effects were underpinned by larger responses of stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) to anticipation, as well as higher punishment-related feedback-related negativity (FRN) for prosocial learning and reward-related P300 for proself benefits, while FRN and P300 neural processes were integrated into theta (4-7 Hz) oscillation at the outcome evaluation stage. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that AVP context-dependently up-regulates altruism for concerning others' losses and reward-seeking for self-oriented benefits. Our findings provide insight into the selectively modulatory roles of AVP in prosocial behaviors depending on learning contexts between proself reward-seeking and prosocial punishment-avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangzhi Deng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Ai
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lili Qin
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Xu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chunliang Feng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education (South China Normal University), Guangzhou, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Center for Emotion and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
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6
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Marciano D, Staveland BR, Lin JJ, Saez I, Hsu M, Knight RT. Electrophysiological signatures of inequity-dependent reward encoding in the human OFC. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112865. [PMID: 37494185 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Social decision making requires the integration of reward valuation and social cognition systems, both dependent on the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). How these two OFC functions interact is largely unknown. We recorded intracranial activity from the OFC of ten patients making choices in a social context where reward inequity with a social counterpart varied and could be either advantageous or disadvantageous. We find that OFC high-frequency activity (HFA; 70-150 Hz) encodes self-reward, consistent with previous reports. We also observe encoding of the social counterpart's reward, as well as the type of inequity being experienced. Additionally, we find evidence of inequity-dependent reward encoding: depending on the type of inequity, electrodes rapidly and reversibly switch between different reward-encoding profiles. These results provide direct evidence for encoding of self- and other rewards in the human OFC and highlight the dynamic nature of encoding in the OFC as a function of social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Marciano
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Brooke R Staveland
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jack J Lin
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Ignacio Saez
- Departments of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery and Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Ming Hsu
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Robert T Knight
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Lavín C, Soto-Icaza P, López V, Billeke P. Another in need enhances prosociality and modulates frontal theta oscillations in young adults. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1160209. [PMID: 37520238 PMCID: PMC10372441 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1160209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Decision-making is a process that can be strongly affected by social factors. Evidence has shown how people deviate from traditional rational-choice predictions under different levels of social interactions. The emergence of prosocial decision-making, defined as any action that is addressed to benefit another individual even at the expense of personal benefits, has been reported as an example of such social influence. Furthermore, brain evidence has shown the involvement of structures such as the prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, and midcingulate cortex during decision settings in which a decision maker interacts with others under physical pain or distress or while being observed by others. Methods Using a slightly modified version of the dictator game and EEG recordings, we tested the hypothesis that the inclusion of another person into the decision setting increases prosocial decisions in young adults and that this increase is higher when the other person is associated with others in need. At the brain level, we hypothesized that the increase in prosocial decisions correlates with frontal theta activity. Results and Discussion The results showed that including another person in the decision, setting increased prosocial behavior only when this presence was associated with someone in need. This effect was associated with an increase in frontocentral theta-oscillatory activity. These results suggest that the presence of someone in need enhances empathy concerns and norm compliance, raising the participants' prosocial decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Lavín
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Social y Neuromodulación, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social (neuroCICS), Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricia Soto-Icaza
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Social y Neuromodulación, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social (neuroCICS), Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vladimir López
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Billeke
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Social y Neuromodulación, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social (neuroCICS), Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
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Izzidien A, Fitz S, Romero P, Loe BS, Stillwell D. Developing a sentence level fairness metric using word embeddings. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL HUMANITIES 2022; 5:1-36. [PMID: 36249081 PMCID: PMC9549858 DOI: 10.1007/s42803-022-00049-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Fairness is a principal social value that is observable in civilisations around the world. Yet, a fairness metric for digital texts that describe even a simple social interaction, e.g., 'The boy hurt the girl' has not been developed. We address this by employing word embeddings that use factors found in a new social psychology literature review on the topic. We use these factors to build fairness vectors. These vectors are used as sentence level measures, whereby each dimension reflects a fairness component. The approach is employed to approximate human perceptions of fairness. The method leverages a pro-social bias within word embeddings, for which we obtain an F1 = 79.8 on a list of sentences using the Universal Sentence Encoder (USE). A second approach, using principal component analysis (PCA) and machine learning (ML), produces an F1 = 86.2. Repeating these tests using Sentence Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (SBERT) produces an F1 = 96.9 and F1 = 100 respectively. Improvements using subspace representations are further suggested. By proposing a first-principles approach, the paper contributes to the analysis of digital texts along an ethical dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Izzidien
- The Psychometrics Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School, The University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1AG UK
| | - Stephen Fitz
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Peter Romero
- Graduate School of Economics, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bao S. Loe
- The Psychometrics Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School, The University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1AG UK
| | - David Stillwell
- The Psychometrics Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School, The University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1AG UK
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9
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Rodrigues J, Weiß M, Mussel P, Hewig J. On second thought … the influence of a second stage in the ultimatum game on decision behavior, electro-cortical correlates and their trait interrelation. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14023. [PMID: 35174881 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous EEG research only investigated one stage ultimatum games (UGs). We investigated the influence of a second bargaining stage in an UG concerning behavioral responses, electro-cortical correlates and their moderations by the traits altruism, anger, anxiety, and greed in 92 participants. We found that an additional stage led to more rejection in the 2-stage UG (2SUG) and that increasing offers in the second stage compared to the first stage led to more acceptance. The FRN during a trial was linked to expectance evaluation concerning the fairness of the offers, while midfrontal theta was a marker for the needed cognitive control to overcome the respective default behavioral pattern. The FRN responses to unfair offers were more negative for either low or high altruism in the UG, while high trait anxiety led to more negative FRN responses in the first stage of 2SUG, indicating higher sensitivity to unfairness. Accordingly, the mean FRN response, representing the trait-like general electrocortical reactivity to unfairness, predicted rejection in the first stage of 2SUG. Additionally, we found that high trait anger led to more rejections for unfair offer in 2SUG in general, while trait altruism led to more rejection of unimproving unfair offers in the second stage of 2SUG. In contrast, trait anxiety led to more acceptance in the second stage of 2SUG, while trait greed even led to more acceptance if the offer was worse than in the stage before. These findings suggest, that 2SUG creates a trait activation situation compared to the UG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Rodrigues
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Weiß
- Department of Translational Social Neuroscience, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Mussel
- Division for Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, Free University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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10
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You get what you deserve! Reactance, greed and altruism in the dictator game with offer suggestions by the receiver. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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11
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Mussel P, Weiß M, Rodrigues J, Heekeren H, Hewig J. Neural Correlates of Successful Costly Punishment in the Ultimatum Game on a Trial-by-Trial Basis. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:590-597. [PMID: 35077566 PMCID: PMC9164204 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Costly punishment describes decisions of an interaction partner to punish an opponent for violating rules of fairness at the expense of personal costs. Here, we extend the interaction process by investigating the impact of a socio-emotional reaction of the opponent in response to the punishment that indicates whether punishment was successful or not. In a modified Ultimatum game, emotional facial expressions of the proposer in response to the decision of the responder served as feedback stimuli. We found that both honored reward following acceptance of an offer (smiling compared to neutral facial expression) and successful punishment (sad compared to neutral facial expression) elicited a reward positivity, indicating that punishment was the intended outcome. By comparing the pattern of results with a probabilistic learning task, we show that the reward positivity on sad facial expressions was specific for the context of costly punishment. Additionally, acceptance rates on a trial-by-trial basis were altered according to P3 amplitudes in response to the emotional facial reaction of the proposer. Our results are in line with the concept of costly punishment as an intentional act following norm-violating behavior. Socio-emotional stimuli have an important influence on the perception and behavior in economic bargaining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Mussel
- Correspondence should be addressed to Patrick Mussel, Department of Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Berlin 14195, Germany. E-mail:
| | - Martin Weiß
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg 97080, Germany
| | - Johannes Rodrigues
- Department of Psychology I, Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Würzburg 97070, Germany
| | - Hauke Heekeren
- Department of Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Department of Psychology I, Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Würzburg 97070, Germany
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12
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Lanz L, Thielmann I, Gerpott FH. Are social desirability scales desirable? A meta-analytic test of the validity of social desirability scales in the context of prosocial behavior. J Pers 2021; 90:203-221. [PMID: 34265863 DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Social desirability (SD) scales have been used for decades in psychology and beyond. These scales are sought to measure individuals' tendencies to present themselves overly positive in self-reports, thus allowing to control for SD biases. However, research increasingly questions the validity of SD scales, proposing that SD scales measure substantive trait characteristics rather than response bias. To provide a large-scale empirical test of the validity of SD scales, we conducted a meta-analysis (k = 41; N = 8980) on the relation between SD scale scores and prosocial behavior in economic games (where acting in a prosocial manner is highly socially desirable). If SD scales measure what they are supposed to (namely, SD bias), they should be negatively linked to prosocial behavior; if SD scales measure socially desirable traits, they should be positively linked to prosocial behavior. Unlike both possibilities, the meta-analytic correlation between SD scores and prosocial behavior was close to zero, suggesting that SD scales neither clearly measure bias nor substantive traits. This conclusion was also supported by moderation analyses considering differences in the implementation of games and the SD scales used. The results further question the validity of SD scales with the implication that scholars and practitioners should refrain from using them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Lanz
- WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Fabiola H Gerpott
- WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Weiß M, Hein G, Hewig J. Between Joy and Sympathy: Smiling and Sad Recipient Faces Increase Prosocial Behavior in the Dictator Game. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18116172. [PMID: 34200370 PMCID: PMC8201160 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18116172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In human interactions, the facial expression of a bargaining partner may contain relevant information that affects prosocial decisions. We were interested in whether facial expressions of the recipient in the dictator game influence dictators’ behavior. To test this, we conducted an online study (n = 106) based on a modified version of a dictator game. The dictators allocated money between themselves and another person (recipient), who had no possibility to respond to the dictator. Importantly, before the allocation decision, the dictator was presented with the facial expression of the recipient (angry, disgusted, sad, smiling, or neutral). The results showed that dictators sent more money to recipients with sad or smiling facial expressions and less to recipients with angry or disgusted facial expressions compared with a neutral facial expression. Moreover, based on the sequential analysis of the decision and the interaction partner in the preceding trial, we found that decision-making depends upon previous interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Weiß
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Center of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychoso-matic and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany;
- Correspondence:
| | - Grit Hein
- Translational Social Neuroscience Unit, Center of Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Psychoso-matic and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany;
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany;
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Pei G, Jin J, Li T, Fang C. Less Expectation, Less Pain: Low Wealth Alleviates Sense of Unfairness. Front Psychol 2021; 12:571952. [PMID: 33995167 PMCID: PMC8115124 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.571952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective wealth plays an important role in social interaction and economic decision making. Previous studies indicate that objective wealth of others may influence the way we participate in resources allocation. However, the effect of objective wealth on responses to fairness-related resource distribution is far from clear, as are the underlying neural processes. To address this issue, we dynamically manipulated proposers' objective wealth and analyzed participants' behavior as responders in a modified Ultimatum Game, during which event-related potentials were recorded. Behavioral results showed that participants were prone to reject unfair proposals although that rejection would reduce their own benefit. Importantly, participants were more likely to accept unfair offers from proposers with low objective wealth than from proposers with high objective wealth, with a drastic increase in acceptance rates of unfair offers from 32.79 to 50.59%. Further electrophysiological results showed that there was significantly enhanced feedback-related negativity amplitude toward proposers with high (relative to low) objective wealth for unfair offers. Furthermore, the late frontal negativity amplitude was larger for all the conditions which are not high-fair, which might be the only option that did not elicit any ambiguity. These findings suggest a strong role of proposers' objective wealth in modulating responders' behavioral and neural responses to fairness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanxiong Pei
- Research Center for Advanced AI Theory, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia Jin
- Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
| | - Taihao Li
- Research Center for Advanced AI Theory, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, China
| | - Cheng Fang
- Accounting Department, Zhejiang Radio and TV Group, Hangzhou, China
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15
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Neural correlates of proposers’ fairness perception in punishment and non-punishment economic games. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-019-0129-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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16
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Weiß M, Rodrigues J, Paelecke M, Hewig J. We, Them, and It: Dictator Game Offers Depend on Hierarchical Social Status, Artificial Intelligence, and Social Dominance. Front Psychol 2020; 11:541756. [PMID: 33329176 PMCID: PMC7719682 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.541756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the influence of social status on behavior in a modified dictator game (DG). Since the DG contains an inherent dominance gradient, we examined the relationship between dictator decisions and recipient status, which was operationalized by three social identities and an artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, we examined the predictive value of social dominance orientation (SDO) on the behavior of dictators toward the different social and non-social hierarchical recipients. A multilevel model analysis showed that recipients with the same status as the dictator benefited the most and the artificial intelligence the least. Furthermore, SDO, regardless of social status, predicted behavior toward recipients in such a way that higher dominance was associated with lower dictator offers. In summary, participants treated other persons of higher and lower status equally, those of equal status better and, above all, an algorithm worst. The large proportion of female participants and the limited variance of SDO should be taken into account with regard to the results of individual differences in SDO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Weiß
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Rodrigues
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marko Paelecke
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Department of Psychology I: Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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17
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Rodrigues J, Allen JJB, Müller M, Hewig J. Methods matter: An examination of factors that moderate predictions of the capability model concerning the relationship of frontal asymmetry to trait measures. Biol Psychol 2020; 158:107993. [PMID: 33259911 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The capability model of anterior asymmetry integrates trait-related and state-related frontal asymmetry research by proposing that frontal asymmetry is dependent on relevant traits if they are activated by a situation. However, differences in experimental design and EEG recording methods haven't been fully explored. We investigated 56 participants under three different situational paradigms (virtual T-maze, mental imagery, movies), varying the stimulus and type of measurement concerning frontal asymmetry. We predicted that "strong" situational manipulations (virtual T-maze, frontal asymmetry measured as event-related desynchronization) would eclipse relationships between frontal asymmetry and relevant traits, whereas "weaker" task manipulations, measured during longer time periods, would enhance relationships to relevant traits compared to frontal asymmetry at rest. The results confirmed these expectations, stressing the importance of stimulus characteristics, trait measures and recording methods with respect to the capability model. Additionally, a revision of the capability model to an inverse U-shaped quadratic relationship might be appropriate.
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18
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Rodrigues J, Liesner M, Reutter M, Mussel P, Hewig J. It's costly punishment, not altruistic: Low midfrontal theta and state anger predict punishment. Psychophysiology 2020; 57:e13557. [PMID: 32108363 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Punishment in economic games has been interpreted as "altruistic." However, it was shown that punishment is related to trait anger instead of trait altruism in a third-party dictator game if compensation is also available. Here, we investigated the influence of state anger on punishment and compensation in the third-party dictator game. Therefore, we used movie sequences for emotional priming, including the target states anger, happy, and neutral. We measured the Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and midfrontal theta band activation, to investigate an electro-cortical correlate of the processing of fair and unfair offers. Also, we assessed single-trial FRN and midfrontal theta band activation as a predictor for punishment and compensation. We found that punishment was linked to state anger. Midfrontal theta band activation, which has previously been linked to altruistic acts and cognitive control, predicted less punishment. Additionally, trait anger led to enhanced FRN for unfair offers. This led to the interpretation that the FRN depicts the evaluation of fairness, while midfrontal theta band activation captures an aspect of cognitive control and altruistic motivation. We conclude that we need to redefine "altruistic punishment" into "costly punishment," as no direct link of altruism and punishment is given. Additionally, midfrontal theta band activation complements the FRN and offers additional insights into complex responses and decision processes, especially as a single trial predictor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Rodrigues
- Institute of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marvin Liesner
- Institute of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Mario Reutter
- Institute of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Mussel
- Division Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Institute of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Mestre MV, Carlo G, Samper P, Malonda E, Mestre AL. Bidirectional relations among empathy‐related traits, prosocial moral reasoning, and prosocial behaviors. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gustavo Carlo
- Department of Human Development and Family Science University of Missouri Columbia Missouri
| | - Paula Samper
- Department of Basic PsychologyUniversity of Valencia Valencia Spain
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20
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Rodrigues J, Nagowski N, Mussel P, Hewig J. Altruistic punishment is connected to trait anger, not trait altruism, if compensation is available. Heliyon 2018; 4:e00962. [PMID: 30533543 PMCID: PMC6262784 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation are important concepts that are used to investigate altruism. However, altruistic punishment has been found to be correlated with anger. We were interested whether altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation are both driven by trait altruism and trait anger or whether the influence of those two traits is more specific to one of the behavioral options. We found that if the participants were able to apply altruistic compensation and altruistic punishment together in one paradigm, trait anger only predicts altruistic punishment and trait altruism only predicts altruistic compensation. Interestingly, these relations are disguised in classical altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation paradigms where participants can either only punish or compensate. Hence altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation paradigms should be merged together if one is interested in trait altruism without the confounding influence of trait anger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Rodrigues
- Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Marcusstraße 9-11, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Natalie Nagowski
- Universität Osnabrück, Seminarstr. 20, 49074, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Patrick Mussel
- Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Marcusstraße 9-11, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
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21
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Yuan B, Wang Y, Roberts K, Valadez E, Yin J, Li W. An electrophysiological index of outcome evaluation that may influence subsequent cooperation and aggression strategies. Soc Neurosci 2018; 14:420-433. [DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2018.1488766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Yuan
- Department of Psychology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yiwen Wang
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Kathryn Roberts
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, USA
| | - Emilio Valadez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, USA
| | - Jun Yin
- Department of Psychology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Weiqiang Li
- Department of Psychology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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22
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Rodrigues J, Ulrich N, Mussel P, Carlo G, Hewig J. Measuring Prosocial Tendencies in Germany: Sources of Validity and Reliablity of the Revised Prosocial Tendency Measure. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2119. [PMID: 29270144 PMCID: PMC5723663 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The prosocial tendencies measure (PTM; Carlo and Randall, 2002) is a widely used measurement for prosocial tendencies in English speaking participants. This instrument distinguishes between six different types of prosocial tendencies that partly share some common basis, but also can be opposed to each other. To examine these constructs in Germany, a study with 1067 participants was conducted. The study investigated the structure of this German version of the PTM-R via exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations with similar constructs in subsamples as well as via measurement invariance test concerning the original English version. The German translation showed a similar factor structure to the English version in exploratory factor analysis and in confirmatory factor analysis. Measurement invariance was found between the English and German language versions of the PTM and support for the proposed six-factor structure (altruistic, anonymous, compliant, dire, emotional and public prosocial behavior) was also found in confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, the expected interrelations of these factors of prosocial behavior tendencies were obtained. Finally, correlations of the prosocial behavior tendencies with validating constructs and behaviors were found. Thus, the findings stress the importance of seeing prosocial behavior not as a single dimension construct, but as a factored construct which now can also be assessed in German speaking participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Rodrigues
- Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Department of Psychology I, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Natalie Ulrich
- Differential Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Patrick Mussel
- Department of Education and Psychology, Psychological Assessment, Differential and Personality Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gustavo Carlo
- Human Development and Family Science, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Johannes Hewig
- Differential Psychology, Personality Psychology and Psychological Diagnostics, Department of Psychology I, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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