Social cognitive and affective neuroscience最新文献

The reward responsivity hypothesis of self-control proposes that irrespective of self-control success, exercising self-control is aversive and engenders negative affect. To countermand this discomfort, reward-seeking behavior may be amplified after bouts of self-control, bringing individuals back to a mildly positive baseline state. Previous studies indicated that effort-an integral component of self-control-can increase reward responsivity. We sought to test and extend the reward responsivity hypothesis by asking if exercising self-control increases a neural marker of reward responsivity [Reward Positivity (RewP)] differentially for hedonic rewards or eudaimonic rewards. We instructed participants (N = 114) to complete a speeded reaction time task where they exercised self-control (incongruent Stroop trials) or not (congruent Stroop trials) and then had the opportunity to win money for themselves (hedonic rewards) or a charity (eudaimonic rewards) while electroencephalography was recorded. Consistent with the reward responsivity hypothesis, participants evinced a larger RewP after exercising self-control (vs. not exercising self-control). Participants also showed a larger RewP for hedonic over eudaimonic rewards. Self-control and reward type did not interactively modulate RewP, suggesting that self-control increases reward responsivity in a domain-general manner. The findings provide a neurophysiological mechanism for the reward responsivity hypothesis of self-control and promise to revitalize the relevant literature.

Empathy for social pain encompasses both affective and cognitive responses to others' emotional reactions following negative social encounters, facilitating an understanding of their suffering and promoting prosocial behaviors. This study examined how a scarcity mindset affects empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions at behavioral and neural levels. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to either the scarcity or abundance mindset group. They viewed images of social exclusion or neutral scenarios and subsequently rated the perceived unpleasantness of the target person and their willingness to provide comfort during a stage-game paradigm. The results showed that participants in the scarcity mindset group demonstrated greater differentiation in their ratings of unpleasantness and willingness to comfort when exposed to social exclusion images compared to neutral ones, relative to the abundance mindset group. Electrophysiological data revealed that social exclusion images elicited larger late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in the scarcity mindset group, but not in the abundance mindset group. Additionally, within the scarcity mindset group, affective empathy trait scores moderated the relationship between LPP amplitudes and willingness to comfort ratings. These findings highlight the amplifying effects of a scarcity mindset on empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions, and emphasize the role of affective empathy traits in this dynamic process.

Individuals who perceive the caregiving they received from their parents as more caring tend to bond better with their infants and show more sensitive parenting behaviors. Early caregiving experiences are also related to differences in the functions of hormonal systems, including the oxytocinergic system. The current study examined how perceptions of childhood maternal care relate to parenting behaviors, oxytocin levels, and neural responses to infant stimuli. Perceived childhood maternal care was measured using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for 54 first-time birthing parents. Salivary oxytocin and observations of parenting behaviors were assessed during parent-infant play at 3.5 months postpartum. Neural activation while listening to infant cry was measured with fMRI. More positive perceptions of childhood maternal care and higher oxytocin were interactively related to greater anterior cingulate activation to own infant's cry. Higher oxytocin levels were associated with reduced left cuneus activation in response to own infant's cry when compared with control cry and matched noise. Findings suggested that positive memories of childhood caregiving may have protective functions for birthing parents with high oxytocin levels during the early postpartum period, a time when parents need to manage increased stress and form an exclusive bond with their baby.

Empathy for social pain encompasses both affective and cognitive responses to others' emotional reactions following negative social encounters, facilitating an understanding of their suffering and promoting prosocial behaviors. This study examined how a scarcity mindset affects empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions at behavioral and neural levels. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to either the scarcity or abundance mindset group. They viewed images of social exclusion or neutral scenarios and subsequently rated the perceived unpleasantness of the target person and their willingness to provide comfort during a stage-game paradigm. The results showed that participants in the scarcity mindset group demonstrated greater differentiation in their ratings of unpleasantness and willingness to comfort when exposed to social exclusion images compared to neutral ones, relative to the abundance mindset group. Electrophysiological data revealed that social exclusion images elicited larger late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in the scarcity mindset group, but not in the abundance mindset group. Additionally, within the scarcity mindset group, affective empathy trait scores moderated the relationship between LPP amplitudes and willingness to comfort ratings. These findings highlight the amplifying effects of a scarcity mindset on empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions, and emphasize the role of affective empathy traits in this dynamic process.

Individuals who perceive the caregiving they received from their parents as more caring tend to bond better with their infants and show more sensitive parenting behaviors. Early caregiving experiences are also related to differences in the functions of hormonal systems, including the oxytocinergic system. The current study examined how perceptions of childhood maternal care relate to parenting behaviors, oxytocin levels, and neural responses to infant stimuli. Perceived childhood maternal care was measured using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for 54 first-time birthing parents. Salivary oxytocin and observations of parenting behaviors were assessed during parent-infant play at 3.5 months postpartum. Neural activation while listening to infant cry was measured with fMRI. More positive perceptions of childhood maternal care and higher oxytocin were interactively related to greater anterior cingulate activation to own infant's cry. Higher oxytocin levels were associated with reduced left cuneus activation in response to own infant's cry when compared with control cry and matched noise. Findings suggested that positive memories of childhood caregiving may have protective functions for birthing parents with high oxytocin levels during the early postpartum period, a time when parents need to manage increased stress and form an exclusive bond with their baby.

Social comparisons are a core feature of human life. Theories posit that social comparisons play a critical role in depression and social anxiety triggering negative evaluations about the self, as well as negative emotions. We investigated the neural basis of social comparisons in participants with major depression and/or social anxiety (MD-SA, n = 56) and healthy controls (n = 47) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. While being scanned participants performed a social comparison task, during which they received feedback about their performance and the performance of a coplayer. Upward social comparisons (being worse than the coplayer) elicited high levels of negative emotions (shame, guilt, and nervousness) across participants, with this effect being enhanced in the MD-SA group. Notably, during upward comparison the MD-SA group showed greater activation than the control group in regions of the default mode network (DMN). Specifically, for upward comparison MD-SA participants demonstrated increased activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and reduced deactivation in the posteromedial cortex, regions linked to self-referential processing, inferences about other people's thoughts, and rumination. Findings suggest that people with depression and social anxiety react to upward comparisons with a more negative emotional response, which may be linked to introspective processes related to the DMN.

Social comparisons are a core feature of human life. Theories posit that social comparisons play a critical role in depression and social anxiety triggering negative evaluations about the self, as well as negative emotions. We investigated the neural basis of social comparisons in participants with major depression and/or social anxiety (MD-SA, n = 56) and healthy controls (n = 47) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. While being scanned participants performed a social comparison task, during which they received feedback about their performance and the performance of a coplayer. Upward social comparisons (being worse than the coplayer) elicited high levels of negative emotions (shame, guilt, and nervousness) across participants, with this effect being enhanced in the MD-SA group. Notably, during upward comparison the MD-SA group showed greater activation than the control group in regions of the default mode network (DMN). Specifically, for upward comparison MD-SA participants demonstrated increased activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and reduced deactivation in the posteromedial cortex, regions linked to self-referential processing, inferences about other people's thoughts, and rumination. Findings suggest that people with depression and social anxiety react to upward comparisons with a more negative emotional response, which may be linked to introspective processes related to the DMN.

Previous findings of better behavioral responses to self- over other-related stimuli suggest prioritized cognitive processes of self-related information. However, it is unclear whether the processing of information related to important others (e.g.friends) may be prioritized over that related to the self in certain subpopulations and, if yes, whether friend-prioritization and self-prioritization engage distinct cognitive and neural mechanisms. We collected behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data from a large sample (N = 1006) during learning associations between shapes and person labels (self or a friend). Analyses of response times and sensitivities revealed two subpopulations who performed better to friend-shape or self-shape associations, respectively (N = 216 for each group). Drift diffusion model (DDM) analyses unraveled faster information acquisition for friend-shape (vs. self-shape) associations in the friend-prioritization group but an opposite pattern in the self-prioritization group. Trial-by-trial regression analyses of EEG data showed that the greater amplitudes of a frontal/central activity at 180-240 ms poststimulus were correlated with faster information acquisition from friend-shape associations in the friend-prioritization group but from self-shape associations in the self-prioritization group. However, the frontal/central neural oscillations at 8-18 Hz during perceptual learning were specifically associated with speed of information acquisition from friend-shape associations in the friend-prioritization-group. Our findings provide evidence for friend-prioritization in perceptual learning in a subpopulation of adults and clarify the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms.

Previous findings of better behavioral responses to self- over other-related stimuli suggest prioritized cognitive processes of self-related information. However, it is unclear whether the processing of information related to important others (e.g.friends) may be prioritized over that related to the self in certain subpopulations and, if yes, whether friend-prioritization and self-prioritization engage distinct cognitive and neural mechanisms. We collected behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) data from a large sample (N = 1006) during learning associations between shapes and person labels (self or a friend). Analyses of response times and sensitivities revealed two subpopulations who performed better to friend-shape or self-shape associations, respectively (N = 216 for each group). Drift diffusion model (DDM) analyses unraveled faster information acquisition for friend-shape (vs. self-shape) associations in the friend-prioritization group but an opposite pattern in the self-prioritization group. Trial-by-trial regression analyses of EEG data showed that the greater amplitudes of a frontal/central activity at 180-240 ms poststimulus were correlated with faster information acquisition from friend-shape associations in the friend-prioritization group but from self-shape associations in the self-prioritization group. However, the frontal/central neural oscillations at 8-18 Hz during perceptual learning were specifically associated with speed of information acquisition from friend-shape associations in the friend-prioritization-group. Our findings provide evidence for friend-prioritization in perceptual learning in a subpopulation of adults and clarify the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms.

Facial emotional expressions are crucial in face-to-face social interactions, and recent findings have highlighted their interactive nature. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. This electroencephalography study investigated whether the interactive exchange of facial expressions modulates socio-emotional processing. Participants (N = 41) displayed a facial emotional expression (angry, neutral, or happy) toward a virtual agent, and the agent then responded with a further emotional expression (angry or happy) or remained neutral (control condition). We assessed subjective experience (valence, arousal), facial EMG (Zygomaticus, Corrugator), and event-related potentials (EPN, LPP) elicited by the agent's response. Replicating previous findings, we found that an agent's happy facial expression was experienced as more pleasant and elicited increased Zygomaticus activity when participants had initiated the interaction with a happy compared to an angry expression. At the neural level, angry expressions resulted in a greater LPP than happy expressions, but only when participants directed an angry or happy, but not a neutral, expression at the agent. These findings suggest that sending an emotional expression increases salience and enhances the processing of received emotional expressions, indicating that an interactive setting alters brain responses to social stimuli.