UZH study identifies brain activity when assessing others

(CONNECT) In a UZH study, a team of researchers used a computer model to investigate how strategically people assess their counterparts, how they may adapt their behavior and which brain regions play a role in this. To this end, over 550 people were observed in various game situations in the Schnick-Schnack-Schnuck game based on the rock-paper-scissors principle.

According to a UZH report, it was found that most people react flexibly when the other person changes their behavior. However, there was a wide range between the participants. Some were often able to recognize which strategy their counterparts were using, while others took much longer to correctly assess their opponent.

Certain brain regions were always more active when the test subjects reconsidered their assessment of the other person. "At these moments, the activity in these brain areas changes measurably," says Gökhan Aydogan, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Economics. These activity patterns can be used to predict the extent to which a person will adjust their assessment. The researchers therefore speak of a neuronal fingerprint of adaptive mentalizing. In the study, this prediction was successful for almost 90 percent of the participants.

"Our findings could help to assess social thinking skills more objectively in the future," explains Christian Ruff, UZH Professor of Neuroeconomics and Decision Neuroscience." This is particularly relevant for personality disorders in which social interactions are difficult, such as autism or borderline personality disorder. "In the long term, such brain-based markers could also help to assess and further develop therapies in a more targeted manner." ce/mm