Focal stimulation of the temporoparietal junction improves rationality in prosocial decision-making

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that modulation of neurocomputational inputs to value-based decision-making affects the rationality of economic choices. The brain’s right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) has been functionally associated with both social behavior and with domain-general information processing and attention. To identify the causal function of rTPJ in prosocial decisions, we administered focal high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) while participants allocated money between themselves and a charity in a modified dictator game. Anodal stimulation led to improved rationality as well as increased charitable giving and egalitarianism, resulting in more consistent and efficient choices and increased sensitivity to the price of giving. These results are consistent with the theory that anodal stimulation of the rTPJ increases the precision of value computations in social decision-making. Our results demonstrate that theories of rTPJ function should account for the multifaceted role of the rTPJ in the representation of social inputs into value-based decisions.

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No Change in Social Decision-Making Following Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Right Temporoparietal Junction

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2018.00258 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Laura F. Blair-West ◽

Kate E. Hoy ◽

Phillip J. Hall ◽

Paul B. Fitzgerald ◽

Bernadette M. Fitzgibbon

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Social Decision ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽

The Right ◽

Social Decision Making ◽

Stimulation Of

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Are People Altruistic When Making Socially Responsible Investments? Evidence From a tDCS Study

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.704537 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaolan Yang ◽

Wenting Meng ◽

Shu Chen ◽

Mei Gao ◽

Jian Zhang

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Socially Responsible ◽

Responsible Investment ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Charitable Donations ◽

Anodal Stimulation ◽

Socially Responsible Investments ◽

The Right ◽

Cathodal Stimulation

Socially responsible investment (SRI) is an emerging philosophy that integrates social and environmental impacts into investment considerations, and it has gradually developed into an important form of investment. Previous studies have shown that both financial and non-financial motivations account for SRI behaviors, but it is unclear whether the non-financial motive to adopt SRI derives from investors’ altruism. This study uses neuroscientific techniques to explore the role of altruism in SRI decision-making. Given that existing evidence has supported the involvement of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in altruism and altruistic behaviors, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to temporarily modulate activity in the rTPJ and tested its effect on charitable donations and SRI behaviors. We found that anodal stimulation increased the subjects’ donations, while cathodal stimulation decreased them, suggesting that tDCS changed the subjects’ levels of altruism. More importantly, anodal stimulation enhanced the subjects’ willingness to make SRIs, while cathodal stimulation did not have a significant impact. These findings indicate that altruism plays an important role in SRI decision-making. Furthermore, cathodal stimulation changed the subjects’ perceived effectiveness of charitable donation but not that of socially responsible fund. This result may help explain the inconsistent effects of cathodal stimulation on charitable donations and SRI behaviors. The main contribution of our study lies in its pioneering application of tDCS to conduct research on SRI behaviors and provision of neuroscientific evidence regarding the role of altruism in SRI decision-making.

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The impact of a physician’s recommendation and gender on informed decision making: A randomized controlled study in a simulated decision situation

10.31234/osf.io/r5vg4 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marie Eggeling ◽

Anna Meinhardt ◽

Ulrike Cress ◽

Joachim Kimmerle ◽

Martina Bientzle

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Treatment Options ◽

General Information ◽

Treatment Preference ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Treatment Preferences ◽

Hypothetical Scenario ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact

Objective: This study examined the influence of physicians’ recommendations and gender on the decision-making process in a preference-sensitive situation. Methods: N = 201 participants were put in a hypothetical scenario in which they suffered from a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). They received general information on two equally successful treatment options for this injury (surgery vs. physiotherapy) and answered questions regarding their treatment preference, certainty and satisfaction regarding their decision, and attitude toward the treatment options. Then participants watched a video that differed regarding physician’s recommendation (surgery vs. physiotherapy) and physician’s gender (female vs. male voice and picture). Afterward, they indicated again their treatment preference, certainty, satisfaction, and attitude, as well as the physician’s professional and social competence.Results: Participants changed their treatment preferences in the direction of the physician’s recommendation (P<.001). Decision certainty (P<.001) and satisfaction (P<.001) increased more strongly if the physician’s recommendation was congruent with the participant’s prior attitude than if the recommendation was contrary to the participant’s prior attitude. Finally, participants’ attitudes toward the recommended treatment became more positive (surgery recommendation: P<.001; physiotherapy recommendation: P<.001). We found no influence of the physician’s gender on participants’ decisions, attitudes, or competence assessments.Conclusion: This research indicates that physicians should be careful with recommendations when aiming for shared decisions, as they might influence patients even if the patients have been made aware that they should take their personal preferences into account. This could be particularly problematic if the recommendation is not in line with the patient’s preferences.

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High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the lateral occipital cortex influences figure-ground perception

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107792 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 155 ◽

pp. 107792

Author(s):

Brooke Sasia ◽

Laura Cacciamani

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Occipital Cortex ◽

High Definition ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Lateral Occipital Cortex ◽

Stimulation Of

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Do Empathic Individuals Behave More Prosocially? Neural Correlates for Altruistic Behavior in the Dictator Game and the Dark Side of Empathy

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11070863 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 863

Author(s):

Michael Schaefer ◽

Anja Kühnel ◽

Franziska Rumpel ◽

Matti Gärtner

Keyword(s):

Dictator Game ◽

Empathic Concern ◽

Dark Side ◽

Altruistic Behavior ◽

Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Specific Effects ◽

Significant Relationships ◽

Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽

Neural Underpinnings ◽

The Right

Do empathic individuals behave more prosocially? When we think of highly empathic individuals, we tend to assume that it is likely that those people will also help others. Most theories on empathy reflect this common understanding and claim that the personality trait empathy includes the willingness to help others, but it remains a matter of debate whether empathic individuals really help more. In economics, a prominent demonstration that our behavior is not always based on pure self-interest is the Dictator Game, which measures prosocial decisions in an allocation task. This economic game shows that we are willing to give money to strangers we do not know anything about. The present study aimed to test the relationship between dispositional empathy and prosocial acting by examining the neural underpinnings of prosocial behavior in the Dictator Game. Forty-one participants played different rounds of the Dictator Game while being scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Brain activation in the right temporoparietal junction area was associated with prosocial acting (number of prosocial decisions) and associated with empathic concern. Behavioral results demonstrated that empathic concern and personal distress predicted the number of prosocial decisions, but in a negative way. Correlations with the amount of money spent did not show any significant relationships. We discuss the results in terms of group-specific effects of affective empathy. Our results shed further light on the complex behavioral and neural mechanisms driving altruistic choices.

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