Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2025

The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
Divergent Neural Mechanisms of Self-Concerned and Prosocial Decision-Making Under High and Low Cognitive Loads
Zhengjie Liu1, Ru Song1, Jie Liu1,2
1School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Abstract:
This study examined how cognitive load differently affects the neural mechanisms of self-concerned and prosocial decisions. Under low and high cognitive load, participants chose how many tokens (0-5) to spend to reduce unpleasant noise for themselves or others. Results showed that high cognitive load increased token spending for both self and others, with a stronger effect for others. Individuals with higher empathy showed greater prosocial behavior under high load, highlighting empathy's moderating role. Neuroimaging revealed that high load boosted left insula activation during self-concerned decisions, reflecting internal salience and self-protection. In prosocial decisions, cognitive load increased activation in the bilateral temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (dlSFG), areas linked to mentalizing and cognitive control. Functional connectivity within the TPJ-dlSFG-prefrontal network predicted the impact of cognitive load on prosocial choices. These findings reveal distinct neural pathways: cognitive load enhances self-concern via insula salience, while prosocial behavior relies on TPJ-dlSFG integration of empathy and control, deepening the understanding of social decision-making under cognitive constraints.
More Related Videos
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
07:42An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in Free Moving Rodents
Published on: August 2, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Decision Making
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Reason and Intuition
Egoism and Altruism
Decision Making: Traditional Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
Self-Schemas