Why to cooperate is better than to compete: brain and personality components

BMC Neuroscience

Research Article

Maria Elide Vanutelli¹  Michela Balconi¹  Davide Crivelli¹ 

[1] Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy;Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, Italy;

关键词: Cooperation;    Competition;    Ranking self-perception;    EEG;    fNIRS;    BAS;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12868-017-0386-8

 received in 2016-12-14, accepted in 2017-09-12,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCooperation and competition were compared in the present study. Brain correlates (electroencephalography, EEG frequency band, delta, theta, alpha, and beta) and hemodynamic measure of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS, O2Hb) were acquired during a joined cooperative (Experiment 1) or competitive (Experiment 2) task. Subjects were required to match each other’s cognitive performance (cooperation) or to make better than others (competition) in terms of accuracy (error rate, ER) and response time (RT). In addition, a personality trait measure (behavioral activation system, BAS) was used to distinguish subjects based on their rewarding attitude. Self-perception of social ranking and real performance were considered in response to subjects’ performance (that was artificially manipulated to show an increasing or decreasing profile during the task).ResultsAn increased left prefrontal cortical (PFC) responsiveness was found for subjects who had higher BAS rating in case of both cooperation and competition conditions. Moreover, subjects with higher BAS ratings showed greater frontal left activity during the cooperative task. These subjects also concomitantly perceived an increasing in social ranking and improved their performance.ConclusionsPresent results demonstrated that some trait components (BAS) and cooperative condition induce a positive self-representation in term of ranking and a best way to perform the task, as underlined by self-perception and cognitive outcomes. Indeed the higher BAS trait proved to be related with the representation of higher social ranking and with the perception of improved cognitive outcomes, with also a significant increased left PFC activity in cooperative contexts.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2017