NeuroCultural Mechanisms of Choice Justification: A Cross-Cultural Imaging Genetics Study

选择几乎驱动了所有的行为，也是心理学中研究最多的现象之一。本研究汇集了三个先前不同的知识体系，以进一步阐明选择过程的性质，并特别强调选择理由--一种现象，即对所选选项的偏好增加，对被拒绝的选项的偏好降低。本研究涉及一个基因X情境X文化互动框架。尽管目前的努力是雄心勃勃的，但最近在三个相关研究领域的发展使这一努力不仅是可能的，而且有可能取得成果。从文化心理学研究中我们知道，选择理由无处不在，然而，这种情况在不同的文化中发生的情况有系统地不同：欧洲裔美国人(倾向于认为自己独立于他人)为自己做出的选择辩护，而亚洲人(倾向于认为自己与他人相互依赖)为他们为朋友做出的选择辩护。从决策的神经科学中，我们知道选择理由发生在奖赏加工的中皮质边缘神经通路上。从遗传学上我们知道，奖赏加工的神经通路受多个多巴胺系统相关基因的密切调控。这三种文学结合在一起，为当前的观点增添了重要的一笔，即做出选择既不是静态的，也不只是认知的。相反，选择最好被概念化为一个开放的、动态的过程，它接受来自基因、环境和文化的持续输入。为了调查选择理由如何取决于基因、环境(例如，自我和朋友的选择)和文化(即，欧洲裔美国人和亚洲人)，目前的建议涉及一项大规模的跨文化成像遗传学研究--这是此类研究的第一次。拥有高或低多巴胺信号能力基因图谱的欧洲裔美国人和东亚人都将被招募。他们在为自己或朋友做出选择时会接受扫描。据预测，当为自己做出选择时，腹侧纹状体区域的活动所揭示的选择理由将对欧洲美国人最明显，而且，在欧洲美国人中，对于那些具有与高(与低)多巴胺信号能力相关的基因图谱的人来说，这种影响将更强。相比之下，当为朋友做出选择时，在相同的腹侧纹状体区域表现出的选择理由效应对亚洲人来说最明显，而且，在亚洲人中，这种影响对于那些具有与高(与低)多巴胺信号能力相关的基因特征的人来说会更强。如果得到证实，目前关于基因X情形X文化交互作用的预测将支持这样一种观点，即对人类心理的研究需要多学科的观点。例如，无论是遗传学还是神经科学，都不能脱离对社会和文化的仔细分析，因为社会和文化为基因和大脑的运作提供了背景。因此，目前的工作将有助于若干不同领域的教学、培训和知识创造。此外，目前的工作将由具有多文化和种族背景的研究人员和研究助理组成的多文化和种族小组进行。因此，这项工作将有助于教育和培训在生物和行为科学方面代表性不足的个人群体。

Choice drives virtually all behavior and is one of the most studied phenomena in psychology. The present research brings together three previously separate bodies of knowledge to further illuminate the nature of choice processes, with a particular emphasis on choice justification -- a phenomenon involving increased preference for a chosen option and decreased preference for a rejected option. The research involves a Gene X Situation X Culture Interaction Framework. Although the present effort is ambitious, recent developments in three relevant areas of research make the effort, not only possible, but also potentially fruitful. From cultural psychological work we know that choice justification is ubiquitous and, yet, the situations in which it occurs vary systematically across cultures: Whereas European Americans (who tend to see themselves as independent from others) justify choices they make for themselves, Asians (who tend to see themselves as interdependent with others) justify choices they make for their friends. From the neuroscience of decision-making, we know that choice justification occurs at the mesocorticolimbic neural pathway of reward processing. From genetics we know that the neural pathway of reward processing is regulated closely by several dopamine system related genes. In combination, these three bodies of literature add importantly to the current view that choice making is neither static nor merely cognitive. Instead, choice making is best conceptualized as an open, dynamic process that receives constant input from genes, situations, and culture.To investigate how choice justification depends on genes, situations (i.e., self vs. friend choice), and culture (i.e., European American vs. Asian), the current proposal involves one large-scale, cross-cultural imaging genetics study -- the first of its kind. Both European Americans and East Asians who have either high or low genetic profiles of dopamine signaling capacity will be recruited. They will be scanned while making choices for themselves or for their friends. It is anticipated that when choices are made for the self, choice justification as revealed in activity in the ventral striatal area will be most pronounced for European Americans and, moreover, among European Americans the effect will be stronger for those with genetic profiles linked to high (vs. low) dopamine signaling capacity. In contrast, when choices are made for friends, the choice justification effect as revealed in the same ventral striatal region will be most pronounced for Asians and, moreover, among Asians this effect will be stronger for those with the genetic profiles associated with high (vs. low) dopamine signaling capacity. If confirmed, the current prediction regarding Gene X Situation X Culture interaction effects will support the view that the study of human mind requires a multi-disciplinary point of view. For example, neither genetics nor neuroscience can be neatly separated from careful analysis of society and culture that provides the context for both genes and the brain to operate. The current work will therefore contribute to teaching, training and knowledge creation of several different fields. Furthermore, the current work will be conducted by a multi-cultural and ethnic group of researchers and research assistants with participants who have multi-cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This work will therefore help educate and train underrepresented groups of individuals in the biological and behavioral sciences.