Collaborative Research: Grounding the Behavioral Immune System in Mental and Physiological Processes

人类，像许多其他脊椎动物一样，发展出一种生理免疫系统，旨在检测和摧毁进入体内的有害生物。最近的研究表明，除了这种生理免疫系统外，还进化出一种行为免疫系统，该系统由心理和行为机制组成，旨在在病原体进入人体之前检测和防御病原体威胁。例如，人们很快就会注意到并避开那些表现出感染迹象的人（例如，咳嗽、病变）。本提案中的研究将深入研究行为免疫系统，并将其作用与生理和心理功能的多个方面联系起来。过去的研究分别对生理和行为免疫系统进行了研究。然而，从进化的角度来看，生理和心理功能之间应该存在一种适应性关系。因此，本提案中的研究验证了这样一种预测，即对疾病的担忧会增加旨在防止最初传染的行为（例如，避开其他看起来生病的人），也会增加旨在破坏进入体内的病原体的生理过程（例如，细胞因子的分泌）。激活行为免疫系统和生理免疫系统将提供克服疾病威胁的最佳可能性。这项研究还探讨了行为免疫系统激活的具体过程。为了有效，行为免疫系统必须对传染的可能性敏感。一些身体特征比其他身体特征更与疾病相关（例如，皮疹的存在比头发颜色更重要）。此外，有时人们感到比其他时候更容易感染疾病（例如，在接触流血的伤口后与洗手后相比）。我们认为这两个因素——隐性疾病关联和对疾病易感性的认知——都会影响行为免疫系统被激活的程度。最后，本研究探讨了下调行为免疫系统激活的途径。先前的研究表明，对疾病的担忧可能导致人们回避并对那些虽然实际上没有传染性，但表现出与疾病相关的刻板印象的身体特征（例如肥胖）的人持消极态度。因此，了解下调这种基于疾病的反社会行为的方法是减少偏见和歧视的关键。我们的研究探讨了如何减少疾病关联（例如，减少疾病与肥胖之间的联系）以及减少疾病易感性的认知（例如，使人们感到对疾病有免疫力）可以减少行为免疫系统的激活，从而减少对与疾病相关的刻板印象群体的偏见。综上所述，本研究整合了社会认知、免疫学和进化心理学的研究，验证了三个主要假设：(1)对疾病威胁的行为免疫反应是由预期的生理免疫反应补充的；(2)行为免疫系统的激活是由这些生理反应和特定的内隐认知介导的；(3)行为免疫系统可以通过操纵这些内隐认知而下调。这些研究结果将对社会心理学、认知科学和其他相关研究领域的理论和实证工作产生重要影响。因此，拟议的研究本质上是跨学科的，并将促进历史上相对较少接触但正在日益整合的领域（例如心理生理学和偏见）的研究之间的协同联系。此外，拟议研究的执行将涉及对来自科学事业中代表性不足的群体的研究生和本科生的培训。

Humans, like many other vertebrate species, developed a physiological immune system designed to detect and destroy harmful organisms that have entered the body. Recent research suggests that, in addition to this physiological immune system, there evolved a behavioral immune system comprised of psychological and behavioral mechanisms designed to detect and defend against pathogen threats even before they enter the body. For example, people are quick to notice and avoid others who display cues of infection (e.g., coughing, lesions). The studies in this proposal will examine the behavioral immune system in depth, and link its action to multiple aspects of physiological and psychological functioning.Past research has treated the physiological and behavioral immune systems independently. Yet, an evolutionary perspective suggests that there should be an adaptive relationship between physiological and psychological functioning. Thus, the studies in this proposal test the prediction that concerns about disease increase behaviors designed to prevent initial contagion (e.g., avoiding others who appear sick), as well as increase physiological processes designed to destroy pathogens that have entered the body (e.g., secretion of cytokines). Activation of both behavioral and physiological immune systems would provide the best possibility of overcoming a disease threat. This research also examines the specific processes underlying behavioral immune system activation. To be effective, the behavioral immune system must be sensitive to the possibility of contagion. Some physical characteristics are more associated with disease than other physical characteristics (e.g., the presence of a rash more than hair color). In addition, sometimes people feel more susceptible to disease than at other times (e.g., after touching a bloody cut versus after washing their hands). We propose that both of these factors - implicit disease associations and perceptions of disease susceptibility - influence the degree to which the behavioral immune system is activated. Last, this research examines ways of down-regulating behavioral immune system activation. Prior research suggests that disease concerns can lead people to avoid and have negative attitudes toward individuals who, although are not actually contagious, display physical characteristics that are stereotypically associated with disease (e.g., obesity). Thus, understanding ways of down-regulating such disease-based anti-social behavior is key for reducing prejudice and discrimination. Our studies examine how minimizing disease-associations (e.g., decreasing the link between disease and obesity) as well as reducing perceptions of disease susceptibility (e.g., making people feel immunized against disease) can reduce behavioral immune system activation and therefore decrease prejudice toward groups stereotypically associated with disease.In sum, the studies in this proposal integrate research from social cognition, immunology, and evolutionary psychology to test three broad hypotheses: (1) Behavioral immune responses to disease threat are complemented by anticipatory physiological immune responses (2) Behavioral immune system activation is mediated by those physiological responses and by specific implicit cognitions, and (3) The behavioral immune system can be down-regulated by manipulating those implicit cognitions. The results of these studies will have an important impact on theoretical and empirical work in social psychology, cognitive science, and other related domains of study. The proposed research is therefore interdisciplinary in nature, and will foster synergistic connections between research in domains that historically have had relatively little contact but are increasingly being integrated (e.g., psychophysiology and prejudice). Additionally, the execution of the proposed research will involve training for both graduate and undergraduate studentsfrom groups underrepresented in science careers.