In many decision-making situations, sub-optimal choices are increased by uncertainty. However, when wrong choices could lead to social punishment, such as blame, people might try to improve their performance by minimizing sub-optimal choices, which could be achieved by increasing the subjective cost of errors, thereby globally reducing decision noise or reducing an uncertainty-induced component of decision noise. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, 46 participants performed a choice task in which the probability of a correct choice with a given cue and the conditional probability of blame feedback (by making an incorrect choice) changed continuously. By comparing computational models of behaviour, we found that participants optimized their performance by preferentially reducing a component of decision noise associated with uncertainty. Simultaneously, expecting blame significantly deteriorated participants’ mood. Model-based fMRI analyses and dynamic causal modelling indicate that the optimization mechanism based on the expectation of being blamed would be controlled by a neural circuit centred on the right medial prefrontal cortex. These results show novel behavioural and neural mechanisms regarding how humans optimize uncertain decisions under the expectation of being blamed.

中文翻译：

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预期社会惩罚会通过招募内侧前额叶皮层来促进对不确定情况下的决定的控制

在许多决策情况下，不确定性会增加次优选择。但是，当错误的选择可能导致社会惩罚时，例如责备他人，人们可能会尝试通过尽量减少次优选择来提高绩效，这可以通过增加错误的主观成本来实现，从而在全球范围内减少决策噪音或减少不确定性。引起的决策噪声成分。在这项功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究中，有46位参与者执行了一项选择任务，其中具有给定提示的正确选择的概率和非理性反馈的条件概率（通过做出错误的选择）不断变化。通过比较行为的计算模型，我们发现，参与者可以通过优先减少与不确定性相关的决策噪声来优化绩效。同时，指责导致参与者的情绪大大恶化。基于模型的fMRI分析和动态因果模型表明，基于被指责的优化机制将由以右侧前额叶皮层为中心的神经回路控制。这些结果显示了有关人类如何在被指责的情况下优化不确定决策的新颖行为和神经机制。基于模型的fMRI分析和动态因果模型表明，基于被指责的优化机制将由以右侧前额叶皮层为中心的神经回路控制。这些结果显示了有关人类如何在被指责的情况下优化不确定决策的新颖行为和神经机制。基于模型的fMRI分析和动态因果模型表明，基于被指责的优化机制将由以右侧前额叶皮层为中心的神经回路控制。这些结果显示了有关人类如何在被指责的情况下优化不确定决策的新颖行为和神经机制。