Neural mechanism of proposer’s decision-making in the ultimatum and dictator games

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.04.008

Abstract

Abstract:

Previous studies have demonstrated that reactions to unfair offers in the ultimatum game are correlated with negative emotion. However, little is known about the difference in neural activity between a proposer’s decision-making in the ultimatum game compared with the dictator game. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study revealed that proposing fair offers in the dictator game elicited greater activation in the right supramarginal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus and left anterior cingulate cortex compared with proposing fair offers in the ultimatum game in 23 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students from Beijing Normal University in China. However, greater activation was found in the right superior temporal gyrus and left cingulate gyrus for the reverse contrast. The results indicate that proposing fair offers in the dictator game is more strongly associated with cognitive control and conflicting information processing compared with proposing fair offers in the ultimatum game.

Key words: neural regeneration, neuroimaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, decision-making, , fair behavior, neural mechanism, brain, brain activation, cognition, emotion, grants-supported paper, photographs-containing paper, neuroregeneration

Hongming Zheng, Liqi Zhu. Neural mechanism of proposer’s decision-making in the ultimatum and dictator games[J]. Neural Regeneration Research, 2013, 8(4): 357-362.

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