Electronic Commerce Research Center, National Sun Yat-Sen University, 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan.
Department of Digital Content Application and Management, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
BMC Neurosci. 2021 Mar 23;22(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12868-021-00625-4.
Escalation of commitment is a common bias in human decision making. The present study examined (1) differences in neural recruitment for escalation and de-escalation decisions of prior investments, and (2) how the activations of these brain networks are affected by two factors that can arguably modulate escalation decisions: (i) self-responsibility, and (ii) framing of the success probabilities.
Imaging data were obtained from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applied to 29 participants. A whole-brain analysis was conducted to compare brain activations between conditions. ROI analysis, then, was used to examine if these significant activations were modulated by two contextual factors. Finally, mediation analysis was applied to explore how the contextual factors affect escalation decisions through brain activations. The findings showed that (1) escalation decisions are faster than de-escalation decisions, (2) the corresponding network of brain regions recruited for escalation (anterior cingulate cortex, insula and precuneus) decisions differs from this recruited for de-escalation decisions (inferior and superior frontal gyri), (3) the switch from escalation to de-escalation is primarily frontal gyri dependent, and (4) activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, insula and precuneus were further increased in escalation decisions, when the outcome probabilities of the follow-up investment were positively framed; and activation in the inferior and superior frontal gyri in de-escalation decisions were increased when the outcome probabilities were negatively framed.
Escalation and de-escalation decisions recruit different brain regions. Framing of possible outcomes as negative leads to escalation decisions through recruitment of the inferior frontal gyrus. Responsibility for decisions affects escalation decisions through recruitment of the superior (inferior) gyrus, when the decision is framed positively (negatively).
承诺升级是人类决策中的一种常见偏见。本研究考察了（1）先前投资的升级和降级决策的神经募集差异，以及（2）这些大脑网络的激活如何受到两个可以调节升级决策的因素的影响：（i）自我责任，（ii）成功概率的框架。
从 29 名参与者的功能磁共振成像（fMRI）中获得了成像数据。进行了全脑分析以比较条件之间的大脑激活。然后，使用 ROI 分析来检查这些显著激活是否受到两个上下文因素的调节。最后，应用中介分析来探索上下文因素如何通过大脑激活影响升级决策。研究结果表明：（1）升级决策比降级决策更快，（2）用于升级决策的相应大脑区域网络（前扣带皮层、岛叶和楔前叶）与用于降级决策的网络不同（额下回和额上回），（3）从升级到降级的转变主要依赖于额回，（4）当后续投资的结果概率被正向框定时，前扣带皮层、岛叶和楔前叶的激活进一步增加；当结果概率被负向框定时，额下回和额上回的激活增加。
升级和降级决策募集不同的大脑区域。将可能的结果框定为负面会通过募集额下回导致升级决策。当决策被正面（负面）框定时，决策的责任会通过募集额上（下）回影响升级决策。
