scholarly journals Testing the reinforcement learning hypothesis of social conformity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Levorsen ◽  
Ayahito Ito ◽  
Shinsuke Suzuki ◽  
Keise Izuma
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Social Conformity ◽  
Learning Hypothesis

scholarly journals Testing the reinforcement learning hypothesis of social conformity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Levorsen ◽  
Ayahito Ito ◽  
Shinsuke Suzuki ◽  
Keise Izuma
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Social Conflict ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Social Conformity ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Learning Hypothesis ◽  
Human Neuroimaging

AbstractOur preferences are influenced by the opinions of others. The past human neuroimaging studies on social conformity have identified a network of brain regions related to social conformity that includes the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC), anterior insula, and striatum. It was hypothesized that since these brain regions are also known to play important roles in reinforcement learning (i.e., processing prediction error), social conformity and reinforcement learning have a common neural mechanism. However, these two processes have previously never been directly compared; therefore, the extent to which they shared a common neural mechanism had remained unclear. This study aimed to formally test the hypothesis. The same group of participants (n = 25) performed social conformity and reinforcement learning tasks inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. Univariate fMRI data analyses revealed activation overlaps in the pMFC and bilateral insula between social conflict and unsigned prediction error and in the striatum between social conflict and signed prediction error. We further conducted multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) for more direct evidence of a shared neural mechanism. MVPA did not reveal any evidence to support the hypothesis in any of these regions but found that activation patterns between social conflict and prediction error in these regions were largely distinct. Taken together, the present study provides no clear evidence of a common neural mechanism between social conformity and reinforcement learning.

A Review of Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Social Conformity

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 466-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Schnuerch ◽  
Henning Gibbons
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Ventral Striatum ◽  
Behavioral Adjustment ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Social Conformity ◽  
Insight Into

In groups, individuals often adjust their behavior to the majority’s. Here, we provide a brief introduction into the research on social conformity and review the first, very recent investigations elucidating the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Multiple studies suggest that conformity is a behavioral adjustment based on reinforcement-learning mechanisms in posterior medial frontal cortex and ventral striatum. It has also been suggested that the detection of cognitive inconsistency and the modulation of basic encoding processes are involved. Together, recent findings provide valuable insight into the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying social conformity and clearly point up the need for further studies in this field.

scholarly journals Reinforcement Learning Signal Predicts Social Conformity

Neuron ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasily Klucharev ◽  
Kaisa Hytönen ◽  
Mark Rijpkema ◽  
Ale Smidts ◽  
Guillén Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Social Conformity

Psychology in Outerspace

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viren Swami ◽  
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic ◽  
Manal Shafi
Keyword(s):  
Individual Difference ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Social Conformity ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Paranormal Beliefs ◽  
Future Work

Previous work has shown that is important to consider the disjunction between paranormal and nonparanormal beliefs about extraterrestrial life. The current study examined the association between both such beliefs and individual difference and demographic variables. A total of 555 British participants completed the Extraterrestrial Beliefs Scale, as well as measures of their Big Five personality scores, social conformity, sensation seeking, and demographics. Results showed no sex differences in ratings of paranormal and nonparanormal extraterrestrial beliefs, but participants rated nonparanormal beliefs more positively than paranormal beliefs. Results of structural equation modeling showed that individual difference factors (specifically, Openness, Conscientiousness, and social conformity) explained 21% of the variance in extraterrestrial beliefs, whereas demographic factors (specifically, education level, political orientation, and religiosity) explained 16% of the variance. Limitations and directions for future work are considered.

Bayes factors for reinforcement-learning models of the Iowa gambling task.

Decision ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Steingroever ◽  
Ruud Wetzels ◽  
Eric-Jan Wagenmakers
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Iowa Gambling Task ◽  
Bayes Factors ◽  
Gambling Task ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Reinforcement Learning Models
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