The Neural Markers Correlates of the Kindness & Greediness Contagion in Social Interaction

In human populations and many group-living species, individuals rely on the observation of others to filter and modify their opinions, attitudes, beliefs, or behavior. Behavioral contagion is a form of social influence and refers to the tendency for individuals to copy and imitate certain behavior of others. The aim of this study is to investigate the contagiousness of peer preferences on changes in individual decisions as well as the neural mechanism behind this phenomenon. This is a novel idea, in the literature in experimental economics. I am planning on conducting the experiments to extract and analyze behavioral and electrophysiological (qEEG) responses to stimuli in behavioral game .In particular, we examine whether repeating the dictator (taking) game after observing peer decision affect individual decision-making differently and can modulate an individual’s own (un) fairness preferences. This research will provide important information to policymakers who wish influencing behavior by applying new insights and tools from behavioral science. At the micro-level, social contagion and network effects have a substantial impact on e.g. products of retailers who sell their products through multiple channels, or people who want to donate organs to charity. This research will provide a new understanding of the contagion effect on individuals' decision making.