Neural implementation of computational mechanisms underlying the continuous trade-off between cooperation and competition

Pisauro, M. A., Fouragnan, E. F., Arabadzhiyska, D. H., Apps, M. A. J. and Philiastides, M. G. (2022) Neural implementation of computational mechanisms underlying the continuous trade-off between cooperation and competition. Nature Communications, 13, 6873. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34509-w) (PMID:36369180) (PMCID:PMC9652314)

Abstract

Social interactions evolve continuously. Sometimes we cooperate, sometimes we compete, while at other times we strategically position ourselves somewhere in between to account for the ever-changing social contexts around us. Research on social interactions often focuses on a binary dichotomy between competition and cooperation, ignoring people’s evolving shifts along a continuum. Here, we develop an economic game – the Space Dilemma – where two players change their degree of cooperativeness over time in cooperative and competitive contexts. Using computational modelling we show how social contexts bias choices and characterise how inferences about others’ intentions modulate cooperativeness. Consistent with the modelling predictions, brain regions previously linked to social cognition, including the temporo-parietal junction, dorso-medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate gyrus, encode social prediction errors and context-dependent signals, correlating with shifts along a cooperation-competition continuum. These results provide a comprehensive account of the computational and neural mechanisms underlying the continuous trade-off between cooperation and competition.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC; grant ES/L012995/1 to M.G.P.), the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; David Phillips Fellowship BB/R010668/2 to M.A.J.A.) and by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI; grant MR/T023007/1 to E.F.F.).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Arabadzhiyska, Miss Desislava and Philiastides, Professor Marios and Pisauro, Dr Michele Andrea and Fouragnan, Dr Elsa
• Authors: Pisauro, M. A., Fouragnan, E. F., Arabadzhiyska, D. H., Apps, M. A. J., and Philiastides, M. G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Journal Name: Nature Communications
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• ISSN (Online): 2041-1723
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Nature Communications 13: 6873
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
170631		Neural correlates of learning and confidence during decision making and their utility in developing "intelligent technologies".	Marios Philiastides	Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)	ES/L012995/1	Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging