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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
04:44
Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study
Published on: July 21, 2021
Wired for Corruption: Inter-Brain Synchrony Encodes Bribery-Related Value Information and Predicts Bribery Agreement.
Yixuan Lin1, Shiwei Qiu1, Yiyang Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Affiliated Mental Health Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crises Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University (ECNU), Shanghai, China.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|June 30, 2026
Summary
This study explored the neurobiology of bribery, finding that inter-brain synchrony (INS) in the prefrontal cortex and right temporoparietal junction predicts bribery decisions. Moral costs influence collaborative corruption through coordinated neural processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Bribery involves immoral collaboration between a briber and a power-holder.
- Previous research primarily focused on individual aspects, neglecting the collaborative neurocognitive basis of bribery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive mechanisms and inter-brain synchrony (INS) during bribery decision-making.
- To explore the neural correlates of collaborative corruption using a dyadic approach.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel dyadic behavioral paradigm with computational modeling and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning.
- Measured inter-brain synchrony (INS) in bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in anonymous pairs during a coin-guessing game.
- Compared bribery (immoral) and control (moral) conditions to analyze decision-making processes.
Main Results:
- Fewer deals were made in the bribery condition, indicating that moral costs devalued self-interest and counterpart gains.
- Distributed INS patterns in the PFC and rTPJ encoded bribery-related value information.
- Specific INS features, particularly those related to moral cost and the rTPJ, accurately predicted bribery agreement rates.
Conclusions:
- Frontoparietal INS serves as a crucial neural marker for coordinated information processing in bribery.
- Findings advance the understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of interpersonal corruption and collaborative decision-making.
Keywords:
cognitive computational modelingfNIRSinterpersonal corruptioninter‐brain synchronizationrepresentation similarity analysisMore Related Videos
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