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

选择驱动几乎所有的行为，是心理学中研究最多的现象之一。本研究汇集了三个以前独立的知识机构，以进一步阐明选择过程的性质，特别强调选择的理由-一种现象，涉及增加偏好的选择选项和减少偏好的拒绝选项。该研究涉及基因X情境X文化互动框架。虽然目前的努力是雄心勃勃的，在三个相关的研究领域的最新发展，使努力，不仅是可能的，而且可能是富有成果的。从文化心理学的研究中，我们知道选择的正当性是普遍存在的，然而，它发生的情况在不同的文化中有系统的差异：欧洲裔美国人（倾向于认为自己独立于他人）为自己的选择辩护，而亚洲人（倾向于认为自己与他人相互依赖）为他们的朋友的选择辩护。从神经科学的决策，我们知道，选择的理由发生在中皮质边缘神经通路的奖励处理。从遗传学上我们知道，奖赏加工的神经通路受到多个多巴胺系统相关基因的密切调控。结合起来，这三个文献机构增加了重要的当前观点，即选择既不是静态的，也不仅仅是认知的。相反，选择最好被概念化为一个开放的，动态的过程，从基因，情境和文化中不断接受输入。自我与朋友选择），和文化（即，目前的提案涉及一项大规模的跨文化成像遗传学研究-这是同类研究中的第一项。将招募具有高或低多巴胺信号传导能力遗传特征的欧洲裔美国人和东亚人。他们将在为自己或朋友做出选择时被扫描。据预测，当为自我做出选择时，腹侧纹状体区的活动所揭示的选择理由对于欧洲裔美国人来说将是最明显的，而且，在欧洲裔美国人中，对于那些与高（相对于低）多巴胺信号能力相关的遗传特征的人来说，这种影响将更强。相比之下，当为朋友做出选择时，在同一腹侧纹状体区域显示的选择理由效应在亚洲人中最为明显，而且，在亚洲人中，这种效应对于那些与高（相对于低）多巴胺信号能力相关的遗传特征的人来说更强。如果得到证实，目前关于基因X情境X文化相互作用效应的预测将支持人类思维研究需要多学科观点的观点。例如，无论是遗传学还是神经科学，都不能完全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几个不同领域的教学、培训和知识创造。此外，目前的工作将由一个多文化和族裔的研究人员和研究助理小组进行，参与者具有多文化和族裔背景。因此，这项工作将有助于教育和培训在生物和行为科学中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.