Neural correlates of the false consensus effect: Evidence for motivated projection and regulatory restraint

Welborn, B. Locke, Gunter, Benjamin C., Vezich, I Stephanie and Lieberman, Matthew D. (2017) Neural correlates of the false consensus effect: Evidence for motivated projection and regulatory restraint. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 29 (4). pp. 708-717. ISSN 0898-929X

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Abstract

The false consensus effect (FCE), the tendency to project our attitudes and opinions on to others, is a pervasive bias in social reasoning with a range of ramifications for individuals and society. Research in social psychology has suggested that numerous factors (anchoring and adjustment, accessibility, motivated projection, etc.) may contribute to the FCE. In this study, we examine the neural correlates of the FCE and provide evidence that motivated projection plays a significant role. Activity in reward regions (ventromedial pFC and bilateral nucleus accumbens) during consensus estimation was positively associated with bias, whereas activity in right ventrolateral pFC (implicated in emotion regulation) was inversely associated with bias. Activity in reward and regulatory regions accounted for half of the total variation in consensus bias across participants (R2 = .503). This research complements models of the FCE in social psychology, providing a glimpse into the neural mechanisms underlying this important phenomenon.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	adult,attitude,consensus,physiology,female,humans,magnetic resonance imaging,male,physiology,diagnostic imaging,diagnostic imaging,projection,reward,self-control,social perception,young adult
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Social Cognition Research Group Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	01 Feb 2019 12:30
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2022 04:27
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/69805
DOI:	10.1162/jocn_a_01084

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