A Neurocomputational Model of Altruistic Choice and Its Implications
Open accessAbstract
We propose a neurocomputational model of altruistic choice and test it using behavioral and fMRI data from a task in which subjects make choices between real monetary prizes for themselves and another. We show that a multi-attribute drift-diffusion model, in which choice results from accumulation of a relative value signal that linearly weights payoffs for self and other, captures key patterns of choice, reaction time, and neural response in ventral striatum, temporoparietal junction, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. The model generates several novel insights into the nature of altruism. It explains when and why generous choices are slower or faster than selfish choices, and why they produce greater response in TPJ and vmPFC, without invoking competition between automatic and deliberative processes or reward value for generosity. It also predicts that when one's own payoffs are valued more than others', some generous acts may reflect mistakes rather than genuinely pro-social preferences.
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The Drift Diffusion Model is well-suited for examining the effects of social influence, and has recently gained some traction within the social domain, successfully explaining how social groups bias perceptual judgments and even how altruistic decisions unfold.
“Though the DDM is typically used in perceptual decision-making contexts, it is well-suited for examining the effects of social influence, and has recently gained some traction within the social domain, successfully explaining how social groups bias perceptual judgments and even how altruistic decisions unfold 35 , 36 .”
From Crowdsourcing punishment: Individuals reference group preferences to inform their own punitive decisions (2019) · cites this paper as [36]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSocial value distance signals in prosocials may also relate to mentalizing about the needs of others, integrating social information into estimates of subjective value, and calculating altruistic values in the social brain network.
“Social value distance signals in prosocials may also relate to mentalizing about the needs of others 36,37 , integrating social information into estimates of subjective value 40 , and calculating altruistic values 41 in the social brain network.”
From Oxytocin modulates social value representations in the amygdala (2019) · cites this paper as [37]
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References 68 · Cited by 299
- Authors
- Hutcherson, C. A., Bushong, B., & Rangel, A.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hutcherson, Cendri A.
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-07
- Volume
- 87
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 451-462
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4947370
- OpenAlex
- W1567742360
- Cited by
- 299
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 46 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 5
- FWCI
- 15.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (P50MH094258)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- altruism, drift-diffusion model, ventral striatum, temporoparietal junction, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, reaction time, prosocial preferences, decision-making, neurocomputational model, functional MRI
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Altruism, Brain, Brain Mapping, Choice Behavior, Computer Simulation, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Models, Neurological, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Reaction Time, Reward, Social Behavior, Young Adult
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