H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2022

Rewarding Stereotype · The reward value of stereotypes: Evaluating the contribution of the neural reward circuitry to the persistence of stereotypes

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-09-01 → 2022-02-12
Финансиране от ЕС: 185 464 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Невронните пътища за възнаграждение в мозъка се изследват, за да се провери дали потвърждаването на стереотип предизвиква усещане за удоволствие, подобно на това при вкусна храна. Разбирането на този механизъм помага за разработването на методи за намаляване на вредните предразсъдъци.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

The reward value of stereotypes: Evaluating the contribution of the neural reward circuitry to the persistence of stereotypes

Stereotypes guide many of our social interactions. At times, existing schemas about groups of people can help to diminish the extensive efforts associated with processing detailed multi-modal information about an individual we are interacting with. However, this benefit comes with a cost. Stereotypes often generalize inaccurate notions and attribute certain traits or characteristics to individuals regardless of whether these individuals possess or display trait-relevant behaviors. Consequently, stereotypes often bear detrimental outcomes for stereotyped individuals. Aware of these costs, social scientists continuously attempt to find ways to reduce the impact of stereotypes and their prominence. The current project suggests that to provide a sustainable mechanism for reducing stereotypes, we need to better understand what makes stereotypes so appealing. The overall objective of this project was to combine behavior, neuroimaging, and computational studies to investigate the contribution of the neural reward circuitry to the pervasiveness of stereotypes. Building on several theoretical leads, the project proposed that seeing a stereotype, and particularly seeing that stereotype confirmed, triggers a neurobiological reward reaction akin to the response elicited by receiving money, eating good food, or having sex. The project aimed to test this hypothesis using complementary methods, allowing a well-rounded examination of the hypothesis. The putative sensitivity of stereotypes to rewards could open promising avenues towards mitigating the adverse effects of stereotypes. Understanding the neurobiological basis supporting the persistence of stereotypes would allow researchers in and outside academia to develop scalable efforts to help institutions and individuals alike overcome the allure of stereotype confirmation. Effective communication of these efforts holds the potential for a long-term improvement of society. Unfortunately, the bulk of this action took place during the COVID-19 pandemic which has severely limited research with human participants; the proposed studies did not take place as initially planned. Therefore, the conclusions of this action are partial. Building on related work, we found that people value confirmation of gender stereotypes in the context of Israeli gender stereotypes, as evident in the amount of money people are willing to forego to see stereotypical information. We analyzed data collected prior to COVID-19 and found that confirmation of stereotypes triggers activity in the neural reward circuitry, as suggested in the action. Together, the work done within the action suggests that confirmation of stereotypes triggers a reward-like response that can, in turn, explain why stereotypes are so persistent.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Social interactions are guided by stereotypical knowledge about others: Should I turn to a male or female friend for emotional support? Should I be concerned about the foreign-looking person walking behind me? In the past few decades the endeavour to reduce cultural stereotypes has proved to be very difficult and often unsuccessful. The current research program promotes a novel proposal regarding the underlying neurobiological basis of stereotype perseverance: the “rewarding stereotype hypothesis”. In an interdisciplinary integration of models and theories, I suggest that stereotypes and stereotype-consistent information evoke a neural reward response, leading to powerful feedback that reinforces culturally-pervasive stereotypes and their associated behaviors. A battery of experiments encompassing neuroimaging and computational studies utilizing state-of-the-art tools will test the core tenets of the hypothesis. This will be completed by observing the hypothesized mechanism and then by its manipulation. Importantly, the putative sensitivity of stereotypes to rewards suggests that altering the reward scheme for non-stereotypical behaviors can have a strong impact on decisions and behavior. Following initial proof of concept, I suggest several scalable intervention examples to explore the potential implications on educational, institutional and social policies promoting a just society. Effective communication of these efforts holds the potential for a long term improvement of society. Altogether, the current proposal combines the complementary strengths of the researcher and the host to establish the building blocks for a new view of stereotypes, one that suggests that we can render them less pervasive if we consider their underlying reward value.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV · Beer ShevaКоординаторИзраел