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Affective state and decision-making in the Ultimatum Game
Mascha van 't Wout1, René S Kahn, Alan G Sanfey
1Department of Psychonomics, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands. m.vantWout@fss.uu.nl
Experimental Brain Research
|February 21, 2006
Summary
Emotional responses, measured by skin conductance, influence economic decisions in the Ultimatum Game. Unfair offers from humans, not computers, trigger stronger emotional reactions and rejection.
Area of Science:
- Neuroeconomics
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Decision Science
Background:
- Neuroeconomics suggests emotion and cognition impact economic choices.
- Anterior insula activation predicts Ultimatum Game decisions, but its role needs further evidence.
- The insula's involvement in multiple functions necessitates focused research on its role in economic tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of emotional processing in economic decision-making within the Ultimatum Game.
- To gather converging evidence on the influence of affective states on Ultimatum Game behavior.
- To differentiate the impact of human-proposed versus computer-generated offers on emotional responses.
Main Methods:
- Thirty healthy undergraduate students participated in the study.
- Participants played the Ultimatum Game.
- Skin conductance responses were measured as an index of affective state.
Main Results:
- Skin conductance activity was significantly higher when participants received unfair offers.
- Increased skin conductance was associated with the rejection of unfair offers.
- This emotional response pattern was observed only for offers from human players, not computer-generated offers.
Conclusions:
- Emotional brain systems play a crucial role in everyday economic decision-making.
- The study provides direct support for economic models incorporating emotional influences.
- Decision-making in the Ultimatum Game is sensitive to the social context of offers (human vs. computer).
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