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The Importance of the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex for Strategic Decision Making in the Prisoner's Dilemma

Soutschek, Alexander ; Sauter, Marian ; Schubert, Torsten

In: Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 2015, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 854-860

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    Titre
    • The Importance of the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex for Strategic Decision Making in the Prisoner's Dilemma
    Auteur
    • Soutschek, Alexander. Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
    • Sauter, Marian. Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
    • Schubert, Torsten. Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Inglese
    Publié dans
    • Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 2015, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 854-860. Springer US; http://www.springer-ny.com
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:332386
    Summary
    Previous functional imaging studies investigating the neural basis of strategic decision making in the prisoner's dilemma reported a correlation between cooperative behavior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity; however, the precise function of the DLPFC in establishing cooperation remains unclear so far. The present study investigated the causal role of the DLPFC in an iterative prisoner's dilemma game with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We discovered that disrupting the DLPFC with TMS decreased cooperation rates in comparison to control conditions, with this effect being most pronounced when the partner had defected previously. Thus, the current results suggest that the DLPFC contributes to strategic decision making in the prisoner's dilemma game.