Neural Substrates of Decision-Making in Economic Games

In economic experiments decisions often differ from
game-theoretic predictions. Why are people generous
in one-shot ultimatum games with strangers? Is there
a benefit to generosity toward strangers? Research on
the neural substrates of decisions suggests that some
choices are hormone-dependent. By artificially
stimulating subjects with neuroactive hormones, we
can identify which hormones and which brain regions
participate in the decision-making, to what degree
and in what direction. Does one hormone make subjects
generous and another stingy? In this paper, two
laboratory experiments are described using the
hormones oxytocin and arginine vasopressin to see if
oxytocin may make subjects more generous and is
arginine vasopressin may do the opposite, make people
stingy. Since these hormones naturally release during
the day in response to the environment, it makes
sense to test what happens when they change.

Autorentext

Dr. Stanton is a neuroeconomist, currently a visiting scholar atthe Center for Neuroeconomics Studies in Claremont, USA andresearch fellow at Max Planck Institute in Germany. She receiveda B.S. in mathematics, UCLA; MBA, UC Riverside; MS in ManagementScience & Engineering, Stanford; and Ph.D. in Economics,Claremont Graduate University.

Klappentext

In economic experiments decisions often differ fromgame-theoretic predictions. Why are people generousin one-shot ultimatum games with strangers? Is therea benefit to generosity toward strangers? Research onthe neural substrates of decisions suggests that somechoices are hormone-dependent. By artificiallystimulating subjects with neuroactive hormones, wecan identify which hormones and which brain regionsparticipate in the decision-making, to what degreeand in what direction. Does one hormone make subjectsgenerous and another stingy? In this paper, twolaboratory experiments are described using thehormones oxytocin and arginine vasopressin to see ifoxytocin may make subjects more generous and isarginine vasopressin may do the opposite, make peoplestingy. Since these hormones naturally release duringthe day in response to the environment, it makessense to test what happens when they change.