Korean Journal of Cognitive Science (인지과학)

The Korean Society for Cognitive Science (한국인지과학회)
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Neural Bases of Empathy in Competitive vs. non-Competitive situation

경쟁과 비경쟁 상황에서 공감의 신경학적 기제

  • Received : 2016.09.29
  • Accepted : 2016.09.29
  • Published : 2016.09.30
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Abstract

This fMRI study is aim to investigate effects of competitive environment in cognitive empathic process in human brain. Empathy is known as a crucial factor for human's adaptive behavior in aspects of social cognition and it is almost automatic process, on the other hand competitive situation is psychologically devastated environment to win someone for getting rewards. We hypnotized that reading and understanding of other person's mind are a specific characteristic related to survival evolutionarily, however competition would have an effect on the empathic cognitive process because of mechanisms of competition. To manipulate the competitive atmosphere, one researcher took a role of competitor against participants and they were instructed to get monetary rewards when their performance was better than a competitor. 21 participants(9 males and 12 females) performed to judge the emotional valence of the empathic task consisted of illustrated images with various situation could be experienced in real world as on $1^{st}$ person perspective in both competitive and non-competitive condition, and did same performance with objects stimulus in control condition. In order to examine the competition effects on empathic process,, hemodynamic response were obtained during fMRI session and the imaging data were analyzed to identify brain regions where responses to each condition across the two consecutive runs. Participants' reaction time in competitive condition was faster statistically significant than non-competitive one. Activation for competitive condition increased in the following areas: ACC, mPFC, SMG, thalamus extended caudate and Nacc, parahippocampal gyrus, and for non-competitive condition increased paracingulate gyrus, temporal pole, vmPFC, superior occipital gyrus. As a result of regression analysis using empathic scores as covariance, the rSMG, IFG, fusiform gyrus, thalamus, putamen were correlated with higher empathic levels, and TPJ were correlated with lower empathic scores. We suggest that these observations could mean competitive environment have an effect on neural base of cognitive empathic process.

본 연구에서는 fMRI 기법을 이용하여 경쟁 상황 노출 여부에 따라 개인이 타인의 상황을 이해하고 인지적 공감을 유발하는 신경학적 기제의 차이를 조사하였다. 공감은 타인에 대한 이해를 바탕으로 적절한 반응을 보이는 심리적 반응이며, 인간의 생존에 있어서 적응적 요소로 알려져 있다. 연구의 목적은 Preston과 de Waal(2002)에 기초하여 거의 자동적인 반응인 공감이 타인을 이겨야 하고 본인의 수행에 따라 보상이 달라지는 경쟁 상황에서도 1) 타인이 처한 상황을 인지할 수 있는지, 2) 인지한다면 인지적 공감이 유발되는지를 확인해 보는 것이다. 대학생 21명(남:여=9:12)을 대상으로, 일상생활에서 경험할 수 있는 6가지 정서가 제시된 그림자극을 보고 '나'의 관점에서 유발되는 정서가 긍정정서인지 부정정서인지 평정하는 과제 수행동안 뇌 활성화를 촬영하였다. 경쟁 유무에 따라 공감과정에서 두뇌 활동의 차이를 비교하기 위해 실험보조자 1인이 경쟁자 역할을 수행하고, 수행 결과의 정확도와 반응 시간을 기준으로 피험자가 경쟁자(실험보조자)를 이길 경우 보상(돈)을 제공하는 조건으로 경쟁심을 유발하여 경쟁 조건을 조작하였다. 연구결과, 피험자들의 판단 반응시간은 비경쟁 상황보다 경쟁에 노출되었을 때 통계적으로 유의하게 빠름을 확인하였고, 경쟁 상황에서는 전대상회(ACC, BA 32), 내측전두엽(mPFC, BA 6), 측두두정연합부의 한 부분인 연상회(SMG, BA 40), 시상(thalamus), 중전두엽(middle frontal gyrus, BA 10) 등이 활성화 된 반면, 비경쟁 상황에서는 인접대상회(paracingulate, BA 32), 측두엽극(temporal pole, BA 38), 복내측전전두엽(vmPFC, BA 11), 상후두엽/쐐기소엽(superior occipital gyrus/cuneus, BA 19) 등의 영역에서 활성화가 관찰되었다. 또한 경쟁상황에서 개인의 공감 수준에 따라 두뇌 영역과의 상관을 알아보기 위해 공감에 대한 자기 보고식 반응 점수를 공변량으로 이용하여 중다회귀분석을 실시한 결과, 경쟁 상황에서는 우측 연상회(rSMG, BA 40), 하전두엽(inferior frontal gyrus, BA 47/45), 내측전두엽(mPFC, BA 10/6), 시상(thalamus), 피각(putamen), 방추형회(fusiform gyrus, BA 20/21)영역과의 상관이 높은 반면, 비경쟁 상황에서는 공감 수준이 높을수록 측두두정연합부/상측두엽(temporoparietal junction/superior temporal gyrus) 영역이 높은 상관을 보였다. 이 연구의 결과를 통해 경쟁 노출 여부에 따라서 타인에 대한 공감적 인지과정에 서로 다른 두뇌영역이 사용되며, 특히 개인의 공감 수준이 높을수록 경쟁 상황에서도 타인의 상황에 대해 이해하는 인지적 공감과 관련한 두뇌 영역이 높은 상관을 보여 개인차에 따라 경쟁 지각이 다르게 반응함을 알 수 있었다.

Keywords

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