Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
Published on: November 16, 2017
Empathic choice involves vmPFC value signals that are modulated by social processing implemented in IPL
Vanessa Janowski1, Colin Camerer, Antonio Rangel
1Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125-770, USA.
Making choices for others involves brain regions for value computation and empathy. The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) helps by comparing self and other preferences during empathic decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Empathic decision-making is crucial for social well-being, involving choices made for others.
- Understanding the neural basis of these decisions is key to social cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurobiological and computational mechanisms underlying empathic choice.
- To identify brain regions involved in making decisions for others.
Main Methods:
- Human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task.
- Participants made purchasing decisions for themselves and for others.
- Analysis of brain activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal lobule (IPL).
Main Results:
- Empathic choices activate ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) regions associated with value computation.
- Activity in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) modulated these value signals.
- IPL activity correlated with the difference between self and other preferences, suggesting a role in simulating others' preferences.
Conclusions:
- Empathic decision-making relies on shared neural circuitry for value representation.
- The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) plays a critical role in integrating self and other perspectives during empathic choices.
- A mixture of self- and other-simulation processes underlies empathic value computation.
More Related Videos
06:42Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
08:24The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Empathy
Nonconscious Mimicry
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior
Facial Feedback Hypothesis
Decision Making: P-value Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can have a...
Introducing Social Perception