The neurobiology of punishment

Seymour, Ben; Singer, Tania; Dolan, Raymond J.

doi:10.1038/nrn2119

Cited by 224 publications

(196 citation statements)

References 154 publications

(159 reference statements)

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“…The lateral OFG, and in particular the rOFG, are brain areas shown to be associated with negative evaluation processes [Kringelbach, 2005;Liu et al, 2007;Rilling et al, 2007;Seymour et al, 2007;Spitzer et al, 2007]. The strongly increased activation of rOFG during the punishment of outgroup defectors is consistent with the view that third-parties evaluate outgroup members' defective behavior more negatively than ingroup members' defection.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 78%

“…Recent neuroimaging studies on second-party norm enforcement suggest that two brain regions in particular play a decisive and functionally distinctive role in punishment-related decision processes; these are the right lateral PFC [Knoch et al, 2006[Knoch et al, , 2008Sanfey et al, 2003] and the dorsal caudatus [de Quervain et al, 2004;Seymour et al, 2007]. Evidence from transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) [Knoch et al, 2006;van 't Wout et al, 2005] and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) [Knoch et al, 2008] studies suggests that the right lateral PFC is causally involved in (costly) norm enforcement behavior by modulating the weight of self-interest in the decision process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement

Baumgärtner

Götte

Gugler

et al. 2011

Human Brain Mapping

154

150

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Parochial altruism-a preference for altruistic behavior towards ingroup members and mistrust or hostility towards outgroup members-is a pervasive feature in human society and strongly shapes the enforcement of social norms. Since the uniqueness of human society critically depends on the enforcement of norms, the understanding of the neural circuitry of the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement is key, but unexplored. To fill this gap, we measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while subjects had the opportunity to punish ingroup members and outgroup members for violating social norms. Findings revealed that subjects' strong punishment of defecting outgroup members is associated with increased activity in a functionally connected network involved in sanction-related decisions (right orbitofrontal gyrus, right lateral prefrontal cortex, right dorsal caudatus). Moreover, the stronger the connectivity in this network, the more outgroup members are punished. In contrast, the much weaker punishment of ingroup members who committed the very same norm violation is associated with increased activity and connectivity in the mentalizing-network (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, bilateral temporo-parietal junction), as if subjects tried to understand or justify ingroup members' behavior. Finally, connectivity analyses between the two networks suggest that the mentalizing-network modulates punishment by affecting the activity in the right orbitofrontal gyrus and right lateral prefrontal cortex, notably in the same areas showing enhanced activity and connectivity whenever third-parties strongly punished defecting outgroup members.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement

Baumgärtner

Götte

Gugler

et al. 2011

Human Brain Mapping

154

150

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is the sense in which learning theorists (behaviourists or operant conditioning psychologists) use the term: operant (functional) punishment is any stimulus or removal of a stimulus that contingently decreases the frequency of a behaviour's occurrence (e.g. Seymour et al 2007). Operant punishment, strictly speaking, should be no more efficacious than operant reinforcement in modifying behaviour, though in reality operant punishment can be a more effective learning mechanism (e.g.…”

Section: Punishment (A) Functional Second-party Punishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Punishment and spite, the dark side of cooperation

Jensen

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

170

167

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Causing harm to others would hardly seem to be relevant to cooperation, other than as a barrier to it. However, because selfish individuals will exploit cooperators, functional punishment is an effective mechanism for enforcing cooperation by deterring free-riding. Although functional punishment can shape the social behaviour of others by targeting non-cooperative behaviour, it can also intimidate others into doing almost anything. Second-party functional punishment is a self-serving behaviour at the disposal of dominant individuals who can coerce others into behaving cooperatively, but it need not do so. Third-party and altruistic functional punishment are less likely to be selfishly motivated and would seem more likely to maintain norms of cooperation in large groups. These forms of functional punishment may be an essential part of non-kin cooperation on a scale exhibited only by humans. While punitive sentiments might be the psychological force behind punitive behaviours, spiteful motives might also play an important role. Furthermore, functionally spiteful acts might not be maladaptive; reckoning gains relative to others rather than in absolute terms can lead to hyper-competitiveness, which might also be an important part of human cooperation, rather than just an ugly by-product.

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“…Males, and alloparents in general, may increase their fitness by influencing the behavior of conspecifics in their social group, as they would when disciplining another dolphin. Studies on punishment in humans and primates have suggested that punishment evolved as a way to encourage cooperation and reduce selfish behavior in social groups (Boyd, Gintis, & Bowles, 2010;Gardner & West, 2004;Jensen, 2010;Riedl, Jensen, Call, & Tomasello, 2012;Seymour, Singer, & Dolan, 2007). A review of punishment in animal groups (Clutton-Brock & Parker, 1995) suggested that punishment from a dominant animal to a subordinate can increase the dominant animal's fitness.…”

Section: Description Of Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subdominant individuals in the population may choose to limit the frequency of unpopular behaviors to avoid being attacked or exiled from their social group or denied other social and reproductive benefits (Balshine-Earn, Neat, Reid, & Taborsky, 1997;Johnstone & Cant, 1999;Wong et al, 2007). Similarly, humans are considered a highly cooperative species and much of human societal law and order is based on the threat of costly punishment for the breaking of laws; including fines, jail time, and other legal action (Boyd et al, 2010;Seymour et al, 2007;Sigmund, 2007).…”

Section: Success In Disciplinementioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal and Alloparental Discipline in Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenalla frontalis) in the Bahamas

Weinpress¹,

Herzing²

2015

AB&C

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-Maternal and alloparental disciplinary behavior were examined in a community of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. An operational definition of discipline was created and analyses were performed of underwater behavior by spotted dolphins. Results indicated that both mothers and alloparents performed discipline towards juveniles and calves in their community. Both males and females were observed performing and receiving discipline. Disciplinarians were significantly more likely to be adults than juveniles, and receivers of discipline were significantly more likely to be calves than juveniles. Pursuit, contact, and display behaviors were used in discipline, however pursuit behaviors were most often observed. Variables such as age class, sex, and parity were not found to influence how discipline was implemented, nor outcome. The durations of all disciplinary pursuits analyzed were under thirty seconds.

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The neurobiology of punishment

Cited by 224 publications

References 154 publications

The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement

The mentalizing network orchestrates the impact of parochial altruism on social norm enforcement

Punishment and spite, the dark side of cooperation

Maternal and Alloparental Discipline in Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenalla frontalis) in the Bahamas

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