Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying immoral decisions benefiting self or others.

ABSTRACT: Immoral behavior often consists of weighing transgression of a moral norm against maximizing personal profits. One important question is to understand why immoral behaviors vary based on who receives specific benefits and what are the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying such moral flexibility. Here, we used model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how immoral behaviors change when benefiting oneself or someone else. Participants were presented with offers requiring a tradeoff between a moral cost (i.e. profiting a morally bad cause) and a benefit for either oneself or a charity. Participants were more willing to obtain ill-gotten profits for themselves than for a charity, driven by a devaluation of the moral cost when deciding for their own interests. The subje

SUBMITTER: Qu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7304519 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature