Abstract
Resource scarcity imposes challenging demands on the human cognitive system. Insufficient resources cause the scarcity mindset to affect cognitive performance, while reward enhances cognitive function. Here, we examined how reward and scarcity simultaneously contribute to cognitive performance. Experimental manipulation to induce a polar scarcity mindset and reward conditions within participants under functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recording was implemented to explore the mechanism underlying the scarcity mindset and reward in terms of behavior and neurocognition. Participants showed decreased functional connectivity from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) with a scarcity mindset, a region often implicated in cognitive control. Moreover, under reward conditions, the brain activation of the maximum total Hb bold signal was mainly located in the left hemisphere [channels 1, 3, and 4, left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (L-VLPFC) and channel 6, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC)], and there was also significant brain activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC) in the right hemisphere (channel 17). Furthermore, these data indicate the underlying neural changes of the scarcity mentality and demonstrate that brain activities may underlie reward processing. Additionally, the base-tree machine learning model was trained to detect the mechanism of reward function in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). According to SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), channel 8 contributed the most important effect, as well as demonstrating a high-level interrelationship with other channels.
Highlights
In the reality of social life, there are various forms of scarcity
Repeated ANOVA of accuracy showed that there were no significant differences in scarcity mindset [F(1,26) = 1.349, p = 0.256, η2p = 0.049], reward conditions [F(1,26) = 2.232, p = 0.147, η2p = 0.079], and interaction effect [F(1,26) = 1.537, TABLE 1 | Each channel located in ROI and repeated ANOVA (rANOVA) results
In the left prefrontal cortex (PFC), brain activation increased during the reward condition, and the functional connectivity between the left and right PFC diminished during the scarcity mindset
Summary
In the reality of social life, there are various forms of scarcity. These include the scarcity of capital sources, such as unemployment; lack of social contact and human ties, leading to social loneliness; or a dieter facing hunger and calorie loss. Scarcity can affect a group that has to make decisions with limited resources in a limited time to face challenges. Growing scarcity has been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cognitive performance is damaged during a scarcity mindset (Shah et al, 2012; Mani et al, 2013; Vohs, 2013; Nash et al, 2020). Mani et al (2013) proposed that poverty decreased
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