Intuition rather than deliberation determines selfish and prosocial choices.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Economics
• Social Neuroscience

Background:

• Human interactions frequently involve a conflict between self-interest and the interests of others.
• Dual-process models of prosociality suggest intuitive responses are corrected by deliberate reasoning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether prosocial and selfish choices are driven by intuition or deliberate correction.
• To challenge the longstanding corrective dual-process view of decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Seven studies utilized economic games with prosocial and selfish options.
• A two-response paradigm assessed initial intuitive responses under time pressure and cognitive load, followed by a final, deliberated response.

Main Results:

• Both prosocial and selfish choices were predominantly intuitive, not the result of deliberate correction.
• Findings indicate that the type of intuition, rather than the mode of reasoning (intuition vs. deliberation), underlies these choices.

Conclusions:

• The study challenges the view that prosocial behavior requires deliberate correction of selfish impulses.
• Decision-making in social contexts may rely on distinct intuitive processes rather than a universal deliberative correction mechanism.