Abstract
We 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.
Highlights
We tested the hypothesis that modulation of neurocomputational inputs to value-based decisionmaking affects the rationality of economic choices
We find that focal anodal stimulation over the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) results in improved choice quality in the form of fewer monotonicity violations, increased consistency with a well-defined objective function—which is required for choices to be economically rational—and greater price sensitivity
Anodal stimulation results in more prosocial behavior that is concentrated around an egalitarian social norm
Summary
We tested the hypothesis that modulation of neurocomputational inputs to value-based decisionmaking affects the rationality of economic choices. Because resource constraints on these functions can result in choice inconsistencies and seemingly irrational behavior[21,22,39], it is critical to simultaneously measure the effect of TPJ-NBS on both revealed social preferences and choice quality In this experiment, human participants allocated money between themselves and a charity in a modified dictator game[22,40,41,42,43,44,45] with real financial incentives while undergoing either anodal, cathodal, or sham highdefinition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the rTPJ (Fig. 1a). This novel combination of an economic paradigm that measures choice quality with focal neuromodulation makes it possible to simultaneously measure the effect of stimulation on both prosocial behavior and economic rationality
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