Interpersonal Emotions Affect The Neural Dynamics Mechanism Of Cockfighting Games

Individual decision-making is not only influenced by intrapersonal emotions,but also by interpersonal emotions.Most of researchers have conducted a plenty of studies on the intrapersonal emotion effect,also proposed a well-developed model named emotion-imbued choice model.Gradually,more and more researchers have taken a perspective from the characteristics of decision makers and the context of decision to elucidate the interpersonal effect on social decision making.However,previous studies have ignored the interactive characteristic of social context and cannot illuminate the mechanism of interpersonal emotion effect on social decision making..Thus,the present study investigated the influence of joy and anger on decision making and its neural mechanism.Experiment 1:Undergraduates were recruited as paid volunteers from a university.Participants were required to complete the chicken game with the partner(experiment assistant).Results were subjected to repeated measures ANOVAs with emotion(joy vs.anger),strategies(cooperation vs.aggresses vs.tit-for-tat).Our results revealed compared anger,joy has contributed to more cooperation and less aggresses.What is more,joy has led to a long reaction for aggresses.Hence,there is a conclusion that interpersonal emotions have key influence on decision making.Experiment 2:We made a realistic situation for two participants for the investigation of mechanisms underlying the interpersonal effects of emotional expression on decision making.The two participants sat in the same room on the opposite side and completed the chicken game together.Results were subjected to repeated measures ANOVAs with emotion(joy vs.anger vs.neutral),behavior(cooperation vs.aggresses).Using the hyperscanning EEG technique to record the electroencephalogram of two participants simultaneously.Our results revealed that joy can increase the cooperation rates and anger increase the aggression rates while the react to make a choice would be longer when the opponent have consistent emotion and behavior(e.g.joy and cooperation,anger and aggression).EEG results revealed that the amplitudes of FRN is bigger when both of participants lost money,and both of two’ losing money induced bigger SPW,and there is little difference about P300.Also,the neural synchronization in theta,alpha,beta and gamma frequency band is bigger when both of them losing money and the opponent is angry.Mediation analysis was performed according to recommended procedures to examine whether the relationship between interpersonal emotions and individual decision making in social interaction context was explained by the neural synchronization of the two candidates.The results indicated that neural synchronization in theta,alpha,gamma and beta frequency bands completely mediated the relationship between joyfulness and aggression.Specifically,joyfulness led to lower wPLI and then longer reaction time when the participants chose aggression.Consequently,we would make a conclusion:(1)Interpersonal emotions play an important role in social decision making.(2)In the chicken game paradigm,emotions like joyfulness and anger could affects decision making through emotion reactions and inferences processing.(3)In the chicken game paradigm,the emotion reactions and inferences processing of joyfulness may drive opposite behaviors,while the emotion reactions and inferences processing of anger may drive same orientated behaviors..What’s more,our studies illuminated how participants react to interpersonal joyfulness and anger when both of them were clear about the opponent’s choice and profit each other.The results support the emotion as social information model.Also,deepening the understanding of the social significance of anger.(4)Emotions may affect social decision making by changing interpersonal neural synchronization.