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Chen GZ, Zhao FF, Li HM, Wu YW, Yan WJ. Beyond monetary value: how reward type drives cheating in a gender-judgment task. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1290793. [PMID: 38836237 PMCID: PMC11149652 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1290793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Investigating the effects of monetary incentives on dishonest behavior provides valuable insights into human integrity and ethical decision-making processes. This study is conducted through the lens of self-concept maintenance theory. Aim The aim of this study is to examine the influence of different types of rewards (score-based vs. monetary) and their magnitude on dishonest behavior within a gender judgment task. Method Using a quantitative experimental design, this study involved 116 participants who were randomly assigned to conditions that differed in reward type (score or money) and magnitude (10 yuan vs. 50 yuan). Dishonest behavior was assessed using a gender judgment task with mechanisms to simulate conditions conducive to planned cheating. Results Results revealed significant differences in dishonesty rates between score and money conditions, with a higher proportion of dishonest participants observed in the score condition compared to the money condition. The timing of initial cheating was earlier in the score condition compared to the money condition. No significant differences were found in the proportion of dishonest participants, the cheating rate, or the timing of initial cheating across reward levels within either condition. The rate of cheating increased over time, suggesting a temporal dynamic in unethical decision making. Conclusion The study demonstrates that the nature of rewards significantly influences the likelihood of dishonest behavior, with intangible score-based rewards facilitating rationalizations for dishonesty more readily than tangible financial incentives. These findings enrich the understanding of moral psychology by highlighting the complex interplay between reward types, ethical rationalization, and the dynamics of dishonest behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Zhao Chen
- Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China
- School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Fei-Fei Zhao
- Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hao-Ming Li
- Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yu-Wei Wu
- Student Affairs Division, Wenzhou Business College, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wen-Jing Yan
- School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Centre for Mental Illness, Affiliated Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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2
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Zhang D, Zhang S, Lei Z, Li Y, Li X, Gu R. Why people engage in corrupt collaboration: an observation at the multi-brain level. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8465-8476. [PMID: 37083271 PMCID: PMC10786094 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad132] [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: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that corrupt collaboration (i.e. acquiring private benefits with joint immoral acts) represents a dilemma between the honesty and reciprocity norms. In this study, we asked pairs of participants (labeled as A and B) to individually toss a coin and report their outcomes; their collective benefit could be maximized by dishonestly reporting (a corrupt behavior). As expected, the likelihood of corrupt behavior was high; this probability was negatively correlated with player A's moral judgment ability but positively correlated with player B's empathic concern (EC). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy data revealed that the brain-to-brain synchronization in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was associated with fewer corrupt behaviors, and that it mediated the relationship between player A's moral judgment ability and corrupt collaboration. Meanwhile, the right temporal-parietal junction synchronization was associated with more corrupt behaviors, and that it mediated the relationship between player B's EC and corrupt collaboration. The roles of these 2 regions are interpreted according to the influence of the honesty and reciprocity norms on corrupt collaboration. In our opinion, these findings provide insight into the underlying mechanisms and modulating factors of corrupt collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China
- China Center for Behavioral Economics and Finance & School of Economics, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Shen Zhang
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zhen Lei
- China Center for Behavioral Economics and Finance & School of Economics, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yiwei Li
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China
| | - Xianchun Li
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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3
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A computational account of how individuals resolve the dilemma of dirty money. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18638. [PMID: 36329100 PMCID: PMC9633827 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22226-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Money can be tainted when it is associated with direct or indirect harm to others. Deciding whether to accept "dirty money" poses a dilemma because money can be used to help others, but accepting dirty money has moral costs. How people resolve the dilemma of dirty money remains unknown. One theory casts the dilemma as a valuation conflict that can be resolved by integrating the costs and benefits of accepting dirty money. Here, we use behavioral experiments and computational modeling to test the valuation conflict account and unveil the cognitive computations employed when deciding whether to accept or reject morally tainted cash. In Study 1, British participants decided whether to accept "dirty" money obtained by inflicting electric shocks on another person (versus "clean" money obtained by shocking oneself). Computational models showed that the source of the money (dirty versus clean) impacted decisions by shifting the relative valuation of the money's positive and negative attributes, rather than imposing a uniform bias on decision-making. Studies 2 and 3 replicate this finding and show that participants were more willing to accept dirty money when the money was directed towards a good cause, and observers judged such decisions to be more praiseworthy than accepting dirty money for one's own profit. Our findings suggest that dirty money can be psychologically "laundered" through charitable activities and have implications for understanding and preventing the social norms that can justify corrupt behavior.
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4
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Lim G, Kim H. Distinctive roles of mPFC subregions in forming impressions and guiding social interaction based on others' social behaviour. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:1118-1130. [PMID: 35579251 PMCID: PMC9714428 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
People can quickly form impressions of others from their social behaviour, which can guide their future social interactions. This study investigated how the type and timing of others' social decisions affect the impression formation and social interactions. In each trial, participants watched a responder's decision in an ultimatum game, decided whether to choose the responder as their next partner for proposer or responder and reported the perceived warmth, competence and likability of the responder. Participants preferred responders who accepted (i.e. accepters) unfair offers for the responder and those who rejected (i.e. rejecters) unfair offers for the proposer in their next ultimatum game, and the rostral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity encoded such a strategic context-dependent valuation when choosing partners. Slow rejecters were perceived as warmer than fast rejecters, which was mirrored by the anterior mid-cingulate cortex activity when watching others' decisions, possibly detecting and resolving conflicting impressions. Finally, those who perceived accepters vs rejecters as warmer showed higher ventral mPFC responses to accepters vs rejecters when choosing a partner, regardless of the context. The present study suggests that distinctive subregions of the mPFC may be differentially involved in forming impressions and guiding social interactions with others based on their social behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gahyun Lim
- Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea,School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hackjin Kim
- Correspondence should be addressed to Hackjin Kim, Laboratory of Social and Decision Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea. E-mail:
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5
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Tei S, Tanicha M, Itahashi T, Aoki YY, Ohta H, Qian C, Hashimoto RI, Nakamura M, Takahashi H, Kato N, Fujino J. Decision Flexibilities in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An fMRI Study of Moral Dilemmas. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:904-911. [PMID: 35333369 PMCID: PMC9527470 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
People make flexible decisions across a wide range of contexts to resolve social or moral conflicts. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report difficulties in such behaviors, which hinders the flexibility in changing strategies during daily activities or adjustment of perspective during communication. However, the underlying mechanisms of this issue are insufficiently understood. This study aimed to investigate decision flexibility in ASD using a functional magnetic resonance imaging task that involved recognizing and resolving two types of moral dilemmas: cost–benefit analysis (CBA) and mitigating inevitable misconducts (MIM). The CBA session assessed the participants’ pitting of result-oriented outcomes against distressful harmful actions, whereas the MIM session assessed their pitting of the extenuation of a criminal sentence against a sympathetic situation of defendants suffering from violence or disease. The behavioral outcome in CBA-related flexibility was significantly lower in the ASD group compared to that of the typical development group. In the corresponding CBA contrast, activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus was lower in the ASD group. Meanwhile, in the MIM-related flexibility, there were no significant group differences in behavioral outcome or brain activity. Our findings add to our understanding of flexible decision-making in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shisei Tei
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.,Institute of Applied Brain Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.,School of Human and Social Sciences, Tokyo International University, 2509 Matoba, Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan
| | - Mizuki Tanicha
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Itahashi
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuta Y Aoki
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Haruhisa Ohta
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chenyu Qian
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryu-Ichiro Hashimoto
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Language Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motoaki Nakamura
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Kanagawa Psychiatric Center, 2-5-1 Serigaya, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hidehiko Takahashi
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobumasa Kato
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junya Fujino
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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6
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Hu Y, Philippe R, Guigon V, Zhao S, Derrington E, Corgnet B, Bonaiuto JJ, Dreher JC. Perturbation of Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Makes Power Holders Less Resistant to Tempting Bribes. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:412-423. [PMID: 35238245 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211042379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bribery is a common form of corruption that takes place when a briber suborns a power holder to achieve an advantageous outcome at the cost of moral transgression. Although bribery has been extensively investigated in the behavioral sciences, its underlying neurobiological basis remains poorly understood. Here, we employed transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in combination with a novel paradigm (N = 119 adults) to investigate whether disruption of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) causally changed bribe-taking decisions of power holders. Perturbing rDLPFC via tDCS specifically made participants more willing to take bribes as the relative value of the offer increased. This tDCS-induced effect could not be explained by changes in other measures. Model-based analyses further revealed that such neural modulation alters the concern for generating profits for oneself via taking bribes and reshapes the concern for the distribution inequity between oneself and the briber, thereby influencing the subsequent decisions. These findings reveal a causal role of rDLPFC in modulating corrupt behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Hu
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University.,Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France
| | - Rémi Philippe
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France.,UFR Biosciences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon
| | - Valentin Guigon
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France.,UFR Biosciences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon
| | - Sasa Zhao
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France.,UFR Biosciences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon
| | - Edmund Derrington
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France.,UFR Biosciences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon
| | - Brice Corgnet
- EmLyon Business School.,Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique, Lyon Saint-Etienne (GATE L-SE), France
| | - James J Bonaiuto
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France.,UFR Biosciences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon
| | - Jean-Claude Dreher
- Neuroeconomics, Reward and Decision Making Laboratory, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Lyon, France.,UFR Biosciences, Université Claude Bernard Lyon
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7
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Zoh Y, Chang SWC, Crockett MJ. The prefrontal cortex and (uniquely) human cooperation: a comparative perspective. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:119-133. [PMID: 34413478 PMCID: PMC8617274 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01092-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Humans have an exceptional ability to cooperate relative to many other species. We review the neural mechanisms supporting human cooperation, focusing on the prefrontal cortex. One key feature of human social life is the prevalence of cooperative norms that guide social behavior and prescribe punishment for noncompliance. Taking a comparative approach, we consider shared and unique aspects of cooperative behaviors in humans relative to nonhuman primates, as well as divergences in brain structure that might support uniquely human aspects of cooperation. We highlight a medial prefrontal network common to nonhuman primates and humans supporting a foundational process in cooperative decision-making: valuing outcomes for oneself and others. This medial prefrontal network interacts with lateral prefrontal areas that are thought to represent cooperative norms and modulate value representations to guide behavior appropriate to the local social context. Finally, we propose that more recently evolved anterior regions of prefrontal cortex play a role in arbitrating between cooperative norms across social contexts, and suggest how future research might fruitfully examine the neural basis of norm arbitration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoonseo Zoh
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Steve W. C. Chang
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Molly J. Crockett
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
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8
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Neurocomputational mechanisms engaged in moral choices and moral learning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:50-60. [PMID: 34826508 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The neural circuitry involved in moral decisions has been studied since the early days of cognitive neuroscience, mainly using moral dilemma. However, the neurocomputational mechanisms describing how the human brain makes moral decisions and learns in various moral contexts are only starting to be established. Here we review recent results from an emerging field using model-based fMRI, which describes moral choices at a mechanistic level. These findings unify the field of moral decision making, extend a conceptual framework previously developed for value-based decision making and characterize how moral processes are computed in the brain. Moral dilemma can be modeled as value-based decisions that weigh self-interests against moral costs/harm to others and different types of prediction errors can be distinguished in different aspects of moral learning. These key computational signals help to describe moral choices and moral learning at an algorithmic level and to reveal how these cognitive operations are implemented in the brain. This researches provide a foundation to account for the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying moral decision making.
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9
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Hu Y, Hu C, Derrington E, Corgnet B, Qu C, Dreher JC. Neural basis of corruption in power-holders. eLife 2021; 10:63922. [PMID: 33759762 PMCID: PMC7990503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Corruption often involves bribery, when a briber suborns a power-holder to gain advantages usually at a cost of moral transgression. Despite its wide presence in human societies, the neurocomputational basis of bribery remains elusive. Here, using model-based fMRI, we investigated the neural substrates of how a power-holder decides to accept or reject a bribe. Power-holders considered two types of moral cost brought by taking bribes: the cost of conniving with a fraudulent briber, encoded in the anterior insula, and the harm brought to a third party, represented in the right temporoparietal junction. These moral costs were integrated into a value signal in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was selectively engaged to guide anti-corrupt behaviors when a third party would be harmed. Multivariate and connectivity analyses further explored how these neural processes depend on individual differences. These findings advance our understanding of the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying corrupt behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Hu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Laboratory of Neuroeconomics, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Chen Hu
- Motivation, Brain & Behavior (MBB) Team, Institut du Cerveau et Moelle Epiniere, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Edmund Derrington
- Laboratory of Neuroeconomics, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Lyon, France.,Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | | | - Chen Qu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jean-Claude Dreher
- Laboratory of Neuroeconomics, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Lyon, France.,Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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10
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Right Temporoparietal Junction Underlies Avoidance of Moral Transgression in Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Neurosci 2020; 41:1699-1715. [PMID: 33158960 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1237-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by a core difference in theory-of-mind (ToM) ability, which extends to alterations in moral judgment and decision-making. Although the function of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), a key neural marker of ToM and morality, is known to be atypical in autistic individuals, the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying its specific changes in moral decision-making remain unclear. Here, we addressed this question by using a novel fMRI task together with computational modeling and representational similarity analysis (RSA). ASD participants and healthy control subjects (HCs) decided in public or private whether to incur a personal cost for funding a morally good cause (Good Context) or receive a personal gain for benefiting a morally bad cause (Bad Context). Compared with HC, individuals with ASD were much more likely to reject the opportunity to earn ill gotten money by supporting a bad cause than were HCs. Computational modeling revealed that this resulted from heavily weighing benefits for themselves and the bad cause, suggesting that ASD participants apply a rule of refusing to serve a bad cause because they evaluate the negative consequences of their actions more severely. Moreover, RSA revealed a reduced rTPJ representation of the information specific to moral contexts in ASD participants. Together, these findings indicate the contribution of rTPJ in representing information concerning moral rules and provide new insights for the neurobiological basis underpinning moral behaviors illustrated by a specific difference of rTPJ in ASD participants.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous investigations have found an altered pattern of moral behaviors in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is closely associated with functional changes in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). However, the specific neurocomputational mechanisms at play that drive the altered function of the rTPJ in moral decision-making remain unclear. Here, we show that ASD individuals are more inflexible when following a moral rule although an immoral action can benefit themselves, and experience an increased concern about their ill-gotten gains and the moral cost. Moreover, a selectively reduced rTPJ representation of information concerning moral rules was observed in ASD participants. These findings deepen our understanding of the neurobiological roots that underlie atypical moral behaviors in ASD individuals.
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