Neural recruitment during parent-child joint action : The role of prosociality in cooperative performance

Sammanfattning

The development of prosocial behavior through childhood is proposed to have far-reaching implications for functioning by catalyzing adaptive developmental trajectories. Its neurocognitive basis remains debated, however, with much research studying social behavior in isolation or focusing solely on synchronization between brains. The present study investigated how a child’s prosocial disposition interacts with neural recruitment and task performance during cooperative joint action. 14 parent-child pairs engaged in alternating blocks of cooperative and independent puzzle solving, while brain activity in the temporoparietal junction and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). As predicted, TPJ recruitment was significantly increased during cooperation, relative to individual task solving, and cooperative performance surpassed individual performance. Contrary to what was hypothesized, prosociality did not moderate neural recruitment. Prosociality did, however, significantly moderate behavioral performance – children rated lower on prosociality appeared to benefit disproportionately from cooperation.