Competitive Social Interactions Research Articles

Neurophysiology of creativity in conditions of competitive social interaction: data of EEG hyperscanning study

Brain activity changes significantly across various social interaction conditions. However, the impact of social interaction context on neurophysiological correlates of cognitive and creative activity per se remains insufficiently explored [1]. Two distinct types of interactions can be identified when it comes to resolving tasks: cooperation or competition. The aim of this study was to evaluate how competition conditions affect the amplitudes of event-related potentials (ERP) when solving creative and non-creative problems. Subjects (26 men and 18 women) performed two types of tasks both individually and in pairs of the same gender. The tasks consisted of creative and non-creative activities. In the creative tasks, participants were asked to describe unusual uses of everyday objects, such as a brick, newspaper, or paper clip. In the non-creative tasks, participants were requested to list items from various proposed categories, such as transport, furniture, or sports. A total of over one hundred samples of each type were provided for both individual and joint performance. The order of task performance, whether individual or joint, was randomized between pairs of participants. When tasks were performed in pairs, the first responding participant’s answer created competitive conditions and was considered the first response. During the tasks, we recorded EEG/ERP data synchronously using a Mitsar-202 electroencephalograph (LLC Mitsar, St. Petersburg) and the WinEEG software package (Ponomarev V.A., Kropotov Yu.D., No. State Registration 2001610516 dated 08.05.2001). The recording was monopolar from 15 leads with a referent — combined ear electrode. We modified the 10/20 system with a sampling rate of 500 Hz, and a recording band of 0.53–150 Hz. We analyzed the data using a band of 1.6–30 Hz and a 50 Hz cutoff filter. ERPs for each task (creative or non-creative) were compared between the competition and individual performance conditions by conducting a repeated-measures ANOVA for the STATE factor (individual performance/competition conditions) and STATExZONE factor interaction (15 EEG leads) in the selected time intervals showing differences. Competition conditions resulted in decreased amplitudes of both sensory components, P1 and P2, and semantic components with N400 and P600 latency in both creative and non-creative activities. This suggests the presence of difficulty in finding an answer. The proportion of correct responses was significantly lower in the competitive conditions than during individual task performance. The median correct response rate was 45% (31–55) compared to 56% (49–74) in the creative task, and 87% (82–93) compared to 66% (60–76) in the non-creative task, during competition and individual performance, respectively. Probably, a significant portion of the resources used when performing the task in social interaction conditions were aimed at evaluating the partner’s reactions and responses. This assessment was reflected in the reduction of earlier components associated with attention (P1, P2) as well as later components associated with semantic processing of stimuli (N400, P600). The conditions of the competition had a more noticeable impact on the ERP in the creative task as compared to the non-creative task.

The interacting brain: Dynamic functional connectivity among canonical brain networks dissociates cooperative from competitive social interactions

We spend much our lives interacting with others in various social contexts. Although we deal with this myriad of interpersonal exchanges with apparent ease, each one relies upon a broad array of sophisticated cognitive processes. Recent research suggests that the cognitive operations supporting interactive behaviour are themselves underpinned by several canonical functional brain networks (CFNs) that integrate dynamically with one another in response to changing situational demands. Dynamic integrations among these CFNs should therefore play a pivotal role in coordinating interpersonal behaviour. Further, different types of interaction should present different demands on cognitive systems, thereby eliciting distinct patterns of dynamism among these CFNs. To investigate this, the present study performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 30 individuals while they interacted with one another cooperatively or competitively. By applying a novel combination of analytical techniques to these brain imaging data, we identify six states of dynamic functional connectivity characterised by distinct patterns of integration and segregation among specific CFNs that differ systematically between these opposing types of interaction. Moreover, applying these same states to fMRI data acquired from an independent sample engaged in the same kinds of interaction, we were able to classify interpersonal exchanges as cooperative or competitive. These results provide the first direct evidence for the systematic involvement of CFNs during social interactions, which should guide neurocognitive models of interactive behaviour and investigations into biomarkers for the interpersonal dysfunction characterizing many neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Dynamic neural reconfiguration for distinct strategies during competitive social interactions

Information exchange between brain regions is key to understanding information processing for social decision-making, but most analyses ignore its dynamic nature. New insights on this dynamic might help us to uncover the neural correlates of social cognition in the healthy population and also to understand the malfunctioning neural computations underlying dysfunctional social behavior in patients with mental disorders. In this work, we used a multi-round bargaining game to detect switches between distinct bargaining strategies in a cohort of 76 healthy participants. These switches were uncovered by dynamic behavioral modeling using the hidden Markov model. Proposing a novel model of dynamic effective connectivity to estimate the information flow between key brain regions, we found a stronger interaction between the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) for the strategic deception compared with the social heuristic strategies. The level of deception was associated with the information flow from the Brodmann area 10 to the rTPJ, and this association was modulated by the rTPJ-to-rDLPFC information flow. These findings suggest that dynamic bargaining strategy is supported by dynamic reconfiguration of the rDLPFC-and-rTPJ interaction during competitive social interactions.

Ca2+ imaging of self and other in medial prefrontal cortex during social dominance interactions in a tube test

The study of social dominance interactions between animals offers a window onto the decision-making involved in establishing dominance hierarchies and an opportunity to examine changes in social behavior observed in certain neurogenetic disorders. Competitive social interactions, such as in the widely used tube test, reflect this decision-making. Previous studies have focused on the different patterns of behavior seen in the dominant and submissive animal, neural correlates of effortful behavior believed to mediate the outcome of such encounters, and interbrain correlations of neural activity. Using a rigorous mutual information criterion, we now report that neural responses recorded with endoscopic calcium imaging in the prelimbic zone of the medial prefrontal cortex show unique correlations to specific dominance-related behaviors. Interanimal analyses revealed cell/behavior correlations that are primarily with an animal's own behavior or with the other animal's behavior, or the coincident behavior of both animals (such as pushing by one and resisting by the other). The comparison of unique and coincident cells helps to disentangle cell firing that reflects an animal's own or the other's specific behavior from situations reflecting conjoint action. These correlates point to a more cognitive rather than a solely behavioral dimension of social interactions that needs to be considered in the design of neurobiological studies of social behavior. These could prove useful in studies of disorders affecting social recognition and social engagement, and the treatment of disorders of social interaction.

PENGARUH MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN DAN INTERAKSI SOSIAL TERHADAP HASIL BELAJAR BAHASA INGGRIS

The objectives of this research were to find out: (1) the different effect between using Learning media, (2) the difference of the English achievement between student with cooperative social interaction dan competitive social interaction, an (3) the interaction between instuctional strategy and social interaction toward English learning achievement. The population of this research was all student of Grade VIII, State Junior High School of Medan of eight classes. The sampling technique applied was cluster random sampling taught with two stay two stray instructional strategy and the student taught with expository instructional strategy. The instrument used to measure the English learning achievement was a multiple choice. The instrument used to measure the students’ social interaction was questionaire. The normality test used liliefors and the homogeneity test was Fisher test and Bartlett test. The data analysis technique was Analysis of Variance with two-way at the level of significance followed by Scheffe test. The research findings were: (1) on average the students’ English learning achievement taught with two stay two stray instructional strategy was which was higher than the average the students’ English learning achievement taught with expository strategy, which was , with Fcount = 35.08 Ftable 3.96, (2) on average the student English learning achievement with cooperative social interaction was which was higher tha the students’ English learning achievement with competitive social interaction was , with Fcount = 4.28 Ftable =3.96, and (3) there was interaction between instructional strategy and social interaction toward English learning achievement with Fcount = 9.94 Ftable = 3.96. Based on the data analysis result, it can be concluded that students with cooperative social interaction characteristics should be best taught with two stay to stray instructional strategy while students with competitive social interaction with expository instructional strategy. The implication is that the implementation of two stay two stray and expository instructional strategies should be in accordance with the social interaction. It also suggested that teachers who plan ti implement the instructional strategy should know the characteristics of students’ social interaction.

A probabilistic map of emotional experiences during competitive social interactions

Theories of emotion and decision-making argue that negative, high arousing emotions—such as anger—motivate competitive social choice (e.g., punishing and defecting). However, given the long-standing challenge of quantifying emotion and the narrow framework in which emotion is traditionally examined, it remains unclear which emotions are actually associated with motivating these types of choices. To address this gap, we combine machine learning algorithms with a measure of affect that is agnostic to any specific emotion label. The result is a probabilistic map of emotion that is used to classify the specific emotions experienced by participants in a variety of social interactions (Ultimatum Game, Prisoner’s Dilemma, and Public Goods Game). Our results reveal that punitive and uncooperative choices are linked to a diverse array of negative, neutrally arousing emotions, such as sadness and disappointment, while only weakly linked to anger. These findings stand in contrast to the commonly held assumption that anger drives decisions to punish, defect, and freeride—thus, offering new insight into the role of emotion in motiving social choice.

Environmental drivers of sexual dimorphism in a lizard with alternative mating strategies.

Understanding the relative importance of sexual and natural selection in shaping morphological traits is a long-standing goal of evolutionary ecology. Male-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is typically associated with male-male competition. Similarly, male polymorphisms are considered a consequence of competitive social interactions. This classic paradigm overlooks the fact that environmental factors mediate social interactions and can lead to ecological adaptations. Common side-blotched lizards, Uta stansburiana, are a model system for this paradigm due to well-known rock-paper-scissors social dynamics between male morphs. SSD in this species has been considered primarily a consequence of social interactions, with male size resulting from the number of morphs in each population and female size being constrained through fecundity benefits. We test if the environment explains intraspecific variation in SSD and number of male morphs in U.stansburiana. By compiling data from 49 populations, we show that environmental variables are stronger predictors of SSD than the number of male morphs. Similarly, we show that the environment mediates SSD and potentially contributes to morph loss in colder environments. We propose that the environment favours smaller males in areas of high seasonality. Our results demonstrate the importance of the environment as a mediator of SSD.

Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Social Identification and Testosterone Reactivity to Vicarious Combat.

Testosterone (T) fluctuates in response to competitive social interactions, with the direction of change typically depending on factors such as contest outcome. Watching a competition may be sufficient to activate T among fans and others who are invested in the outcome. This study explores the change in T associated with vicarious experiences of competition among combat sport athletes viewing a teammate win or lose and assesses how individual differences in social identification with one's team relates to these patterns of T reactivity. Twenty-six male combat athletes completed a social identity questionnaire on a neutral day. Later, salivary samples (assayed for T) were obtained before and after athletes viewed a video of a teammate engaged in a formal contest. T reactivity to viewing a teammate compete varied among participants in both the magnitude and direction of change, independent of contest outcome. Individual differences in cognitive centrality, a core feature of social identification, showed a strong positive relationship with T reactivity, particularly if their teammate won. Initial findings suggest that dominance-linked androgen responses associated with watching a teammate win a competition might depend on the belief that team membership is central to one's own identity. These exploratory results in a small sample of combat athletes should be interpreted with caution. Uncovering the role of social group dynamics in influencing T responses to competition is particularly important in light of the evolutionary history of coalitional combat in humans.

A Computer-Based Method for the Investigation of Human Behavior in the Iterative Chicken Game.

The present study develops an artificial agent that plays the iterative chicken game based on a computational model that describes human behavior in competitive social interactions in terms of fairness. The computational model we adopted in this study, named as the self-concept fairness model, decides the agent’s action according to the evaluation of fairness of both opponent and self. We implemented the artificial agent in a computer program with a set of parameters adjustable by researchers. These parameters allow researchers to determine the extent to which the agent behaves aggressively or cooperatively. To demonstrate the use of the proposed method for the investigation of human behavior, we performed an experiment in which human participants played the iterative chicken game against the artificial agent. Participants were divided into two groups, each being informed to play with either a person or the computer. The behavioral analysis results showed that the proposed method can induce changes in the behavioral pattern of human players by changing the agent’s behavioral pattern. Also, we found that participants tended to be more sensitive to fairness when they played with a human opponent than with a computer opponent. These results support that the artificial agent developed in this study will be useful to investigate human behavior in competitive social interactions.

Unravelling competitors’ brain-andbody correlates. The two-persons social neuroscience approach to study competition

Competition refers to a condition for which an individual or a group strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others. It follows that, unlike cooperation, the gain of one foresees the loss of the other. Most accounts have focused on the individual and social cognitive mechanisms featuring cooperative/competitive behavior, however, a fascinating question regards the neurophysiological correlates of competitive social phenomenon. What happens at a neural and peripheral level in the brain-and-body system of two people engaged in a competitive dynamic? The combination of multiple neuroscientific techniques adopted to unveil the individual and social complexity of competition leads us discussing a more recent and promising paradigm in neuroscience, the hyperscanning. In the social neuroscience field, hyperscanning allowed shifting from a single-person to a two-persons perspective and can open new opportunities to study interpersonal brain-and-body connectivity during competitive social interactions in increasingly ecological contexts.

INFLUENCE OF LEARNING STRATEGIES AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS ON THE LEARNING OUTCOMES PKn OF GRADE V STUDENTS AT SD NEGERI 014711 SIPARE-PARE IN BATUBARA DISTRICT

This study aims to find out: (1) differences in students' PKn learning outcomes using Discovery Learning learning strategies with Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) learning strategies, (2) differences in student PKn learning outcomes have cooperative social interactions with competitive social interactions, and (3) interactions between learning strategies and social interactions with students' PKn learning outcomes. The population of this research is grade V students of SD Negeri Negeri 014711 Sipare-Pare and grade V of SD Negeri 013869 Indrapura with a total of 58 people. The sample of this study was determined grade V SD Negeri 014711 Sipare-Pare = 30 following the learning strategy of Discovery Learning and grade V SD Negeri 013869 Indrapura = 28 following the learning using the STAD strategy. Research instruments to measure learning outcomes used multiple-choice form tests and questionnaires for student social interaction. Data analysis techniques use a two-track ANAVA at the level of ? significance = 0.05. The conclusion of the study is (1) The learning outcomes of PKn students in Discovery Learning class are higher than the Student Team Achievement Division class, (2) PKn students' learning outcomes have higher cooperative social interactions than students' learning outcomes have competitive social interactions, (3) There are interactions between learning strategies and social interactions of students in influencing students' PKn learning outcomes.

Emotion recognition development: Preliminary evidence for an effect of school pedagogical practices

While emotion recognition is shaped through social interactions from a child's early years through at least late adolescence, no emphasis has thus far been given to the effects of daily experiences at school. We posited that enriched, more diverse, and less competitive social interactions fostered by some pedagogical practices may contribute to emotion recognition processes in children. Here, we investigated differences in emotion recognition among schoolchildren experiencing the Montessori versus traditional practices. Children performed two tasks; one measuring the impact of social context on fear-surprise perception, and one measuring their bias toward happiness or anger. Results suggest that children experiencing traditional practices show a higher sensitivity to fear-recognition, while children attending Montessori schools show a higher integration of social cues and perceive expressions of happiness for longer durations. Such preliminary findings call for replication and further research to determine which pedagogical features from the Montessori method may explain these effects.

Discovering Negative and Competitive Social Interactions Based on Social Networks

Modern psychoanalytic is based on individual practice with the ability of a medical services based on strength training. Stressed behavior and communal factors have been studied extensively in literature for many years. Has established the use of online social data to consider normal behavior trauma. This should be part of other mental health conditions. Examine complex health emotions here on openly unrestricted social networking sites. First, define stress-based terminology, graphic and communities from various aspects and then recommend a novel hybrid model. Additionally, by reviewing the social news report, you may find some attractive feel. Tweet content for stress authorization and social communication information transaction nervous system. The new conclusion shows that the recommended sample stress can improve performance detection.

Influence of Guided Inquiry Learning Model and Social Interactions on PPKn Lesson Result of 5th Grade Students in Primary School (SDN) 040444 Kabanjahe School Year 2017/2018

The purpose of this study was to find out: the PPKn learning outcomes of students taught with guided inquiry learning models, PPKn learning outcomes of students who had cooperative social interactions were higher than the learning outcomes of PPKn students who had competitive social interaction; and the interaction between guided inquiry learning models and social interactions on learning outcomes. This research is a quasi-experimental study. The population in this study were all V grade students in Primary School 040444 of Kabanjahe, while the sample in this study were 35 students of V-A class and 35 students of V-B class. The instrument consists of learning outcomes tests in the form of multiple choice tests and social interaction questionnaires. Data analysis using anawa two paths with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and Excel 2013 applications. The results showed that: PPKn learning outcomes of students taught using a guided inquiry learning model amounted to 82.79 higher than the average PPKn learning outcomes using the model. expository learning is 66.98, learning outcomes of students who have cooperative social interactions have an average of 87.46 and student learning outcomes that have a competitive social interaction averaging 85.3, and there are social interactions between guided inquiry learning models and interactions social influence on student learning outcomes.

Anodal tDCS Over the Right Temporoparietal Junction Lowers Overbidding in Contests.

Overbidding, which means bidding over the Nash equilibrium, is commonly observed in competitive social interactions, such as a contest or auction. Recent neuroscience studies show that the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is related to overbidding and associated with inferring the intentions of others during competitive interactions. The present study investigates the neural underpinnings of overbidding and how the rTPJ impacts bidding behavior by using tDCS to modulate the activation of the rTPJ. Participants completed a two-person proportional prize contest, in which overbidding was frequently observed and each participant's share of the prize was equal to the individual's expenditure divided by the aggregated expenditure. We observed a significant tDCS effect, i.e., participants' average expenditure and overbidding rate were significantly reduced in the anodal stimulation compared with the cathodal and sham stimulation. Possible explanations include that enhanced activity in the rTPJ via the anodal stimulation increased the accuracy of a participant's inference of the strategies of others, or a participant's concern for others, and thus helped the participant bid optimally. Our findings provide evidence supporting that the activation of the rTPJ in contests affects overbidding and bidding strategy, and further confirm that the rTPJ is involved in the inference of mental states in a competition context.

Intimations of masculinities among young male sports bettors

ABSTRACTThis study explored intimations of masculinities within narratives of young Australian men who bet regularly on sport. Qualitative data collected from white, heterosexual Australian men aged 18–34 revealed their sports betting as characterised by four interrelated intimations of masculinities. Sports betting was portrayed as masculine leisure with the young men’s sports betting interest often influenced by older males and male peers. A foundation and context for social interactions among male peers, sports betting provided a backdrop for formative masculine identity construction. An entrenched male peer group norm, sports betting success produced cultural capital and subsequent social status by virtue of analytic skill, risk-taking and boisterous, competitive social interactions. However, sports betting was widely perceived as stigmatised leisure capable of prejudicing the young men’s prospective or existing intimate relationships with women. The young men negotiated this dilemma by adopting softer projections of masculinity in which sports betting was concealed in the presence of their spouse or prospective female partners. We therefore theorise sports betting as an augmentation to sport as a bastion for the construction of heteronormative masculinity, whilst lending further support to conceptualisations of masculine identities as plural and fluid.

Correction: Social environment during egg laying: Changes in plasma hormones with no consequences for yolk hormones or fecundity in female Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176146.].

Was There a Process of Regionalization in Northeastern Patagonia During the Late Holocene?

ABSTRACTThe objective of this article is to evaluate if changes in the social organization of hunter-gatherer groups from northeastern Patagonia (Argentina) during the Final Late Holocene (ca. 1000–250 years BP) may be understood as a regionalization process. A portion of this region, the lower course of the Colorado River, is taken as a case study. This arid/semi-arid area is part of an ecotone between the Pampas and northeastern Patagonia situated beside the Atlantic coast. Most of the evidence for occupation is concentrated in the Late Holocene, more precisely from 1000 to 250 BP. The archaeological record of this period indicates increased human population, along with a greater intensity of site occupation, the first systematic evidence of coastal occupation, reduced mobility and territoriality, diversification and intensification of subsistence practices, changes in the procurement and use of exotic raw materials, more complex funerary practices, and decreased circulation of specific images in portable artifacts. Based on these data, it is proposed that in some sectors of northeastern Patagonia during the Initial Late Holocene (3000–1000 BP) relatively open social networks operated, while for the Final Late Holocene (1000–250 BP) relatively closed social networks took their place within a framework of increasing regionalization. Factors relating to the latter are likely to have included demographic packing, spatial circumscription, territorial behaviors, and changes in population dynamics that were accompanied by social differentiation and more intense and competitive social interaction networks.

Candidate genes for individual recognition in Polistes fuscatus paper wasps.

Few animals are known to individually recognize conspecifics, i.e. learn and recall unique individuals during subsequent encounters, and nearly all are social vertebrates. Remarkably, the social paper wasp Polistes fuscatus has recently been discovered to possess this ability, which is useful for remembering identities during competitive social interactions. We analyzed brain gene expression in staged encounters between pairs of individuals to explore potential mechanisms underlying wasps' ability to recall familiar individuals using real-time qRT-PCR. We identified four candidate genes (IP3K, IP3R, Nckx30C and Su(var)2-10) that were down-regulated in the presence of familiar individuals compared to single wasps and pairs of wasps meeting for the first time. These candidate genes are related to calcium signaling, therefore, we treated wasps with lithium chloride, a pharmacological agent that inhibits calcium signaling in neurons. This treatment decreased aggression in paper wasps, but did not affect expression of genes related to calcium signaling. The results suggest calcium signaling differences may be related to individual memory recall in wasps, and we present four promising candidate genes for future study. These data suggest genes associated with dominance behavior may be co-opted for individual recognition, but further work is needed to establish a causal association with the behavior.

Intra- and interspecific social challenges modulate the levels of an androgen precursor in a seasonally territorial tropical damselfish

Studies on different vertebrate groups have provided evidence that androgen levels in males increase after competitive social interactions during the breeding season, as postulated by the Challenge Hypothesis. However, social modulation of androgen levels may vary with latitude and may differ between species holding seasonal versus year-round territories. Here, we tested the Challenge Hypothesis on a seasonal tropical damselfish, Abudefduf sexfasciatus, where males temporarily defend territory and eggs against both intra- and interspecific individuals. Carrying out simulated territorial intrusions (STIs) in the laboratory, we document for the first time a consistent increase in the plasma level of the androgen precursor 11-ketoandrostenedione (11KA) in fish confronted to either intra- or interspecific challenges. Collecting samples in the field also revealed higher 11KA levels in fish facing frequent territorial interactions than in non-territorial individuals. Levels of 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) were high in territorial males in the field, but were not incremented after simulated territorial intrusions in the laboratory. Plasma levels of cortisol and testosterone were not affected by challenges but were different in wild and captive specimens. Although the endocrine responses to STIs did not differ between intra- and interspecific challenges, agonistic displays expressed by resident fish were more intense towards intraspecific intruders. Taken together, our study emphasizes the need to incorporate androgen precursor concentrations to advance our understanding on the physiology of territorial interactions.