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Updated: Sep 4, 2025

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Social comparisons differentially affect fair and unfair processing in ultimatum bargaining
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
Social comparisons impact fairness considerations for unfair offers, influencing acceptance rates based on whether individuals compare themselves upward or downward. These findings suggest a need to revise traditional economic and comparative models of decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Traditional economic models link well-being to absolute income.
- Comparative models suggest social comparisons significantly influence well-being and decisions.
- Understanding the interplay between social context and decision-making is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of social comparisons on decision-making using the Ultimatum Game.
- To examine the neural correlates of social comparison effects on fairness considerations using event-related potentials (ERP).
Main Methods:
- A modified three-player Ultimatum Game was employed to simulate social comparison scenarios.
- Event-related potentials (ERP) technique was utilized to record brain activity during decision-making.
- Participants' responses to fair and unfair offers under different social comparison conditions (upward, downward, parallel) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Social comparisons did not influence decision-making when fair norms were upheld.
- Social comparisons significantly affected fairness considerations for unfair offers.
- Acceptance rates for unfair offers varied: less likely in upward comparisons, more likely in downward comparisons.
- ERP data revealed distinct neural patterns in early (260-320 ms) and late (320-650 ms) time windows, differentiating responses to fair vs. unfair offers under social comparison.
Conclusions:
- Social comparison effects are prominent when equality norms are violated, not when fair offers are presented.
- Findings challenge existing economic and comparative models, indicating a need for revision.
- Neural responses (MFN and P300) provide insights into the temporal dynamics of social comparison processing in decision-making.
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