Neurocomputational Dynamics of Cooperation
University of Pittsburgh
Summary
The purpose of this study is to understand brain function, how people make decisions when they interact with others, and how brain function and behavior relate to personality traits.
Description
Problems in cooperating with others define antagonism, a transdiagnostic dimension of psychopathology expressed in personality and externalizing disorders. People high on antagonism are prone to aggressive, callous, and exploitative behaviors that damage relationships and incur substantial costs in the form of productivity loss, substance misuse, and criminality. While clinical theories link antagonism to deficits in social cognition, it is hard to deny that exploiting others requires an understanding of their mind. This apparent contradiction can be resolved by distinguishing between two face…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–100 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Online cohort inclusion criteria: * English fluency * US residency * Owner of a desktop or laptop computer * Adult aged 18-100 Online cohort exclusion criteria: * Participants who have participated in an earlier version of the study * Inability to consent * Self-reported history of neurological disorder or brain damage * Self-endorsed history of psychosis or mania Clinical cohort inclusion criteria: * Adult aged 20-60 years old * English fluency * Owner of a smartphone with celluar data Clinical cohort exclusion criteria: * Inability to consent * Self-reported history of neurological di…
Interventions
- BehavioralSocial Learning Task Battery, Clinical Cohort
In the primary study task, participants engage in a modified iterative trust game. The task is completed in the fMRI scanner and takes about 35 minutes. Participant choices earn feedback in the form of monetary gains or losses. All participants are debriefed on the motivation behind the task at the end of their visit.
- BehavioralSocial Learning Task Battery, Online Cohort
In the primary study task, participants engage in a modified iterative trust game. Participant choices earn feedback in the form of monetary gains or losses. All participants are debriefed on the motivation behind study task at the end of their visit.
Location
- University of Pittsburgh, Bellefield TowersPittsburgh, Pennsylvania