title: Neural Correlates of the False Consensus Effect: Evidence for Motivated Projection and Regulatory Restraint.
abstract: The false consensus effect (FCE), the tendency to project our attitudes and opinions on to others, is a pervasive bias in social reasoning with a range of ramifications for individuals and society. Research in social psychology has suggested that numerous factors (anchoring and adjustment, accessibility, motivated projection, etc.) may contribute to the FCE. In this study, we examine the neural correlates of the FCE and provide evidence that motivated projection plays a significant role. Activity in reward regions (ventromedial pFC and bilateral nucleus accumbens) during consensus estimation was positively associated with bias, whereas activity in right ventrolateral pFC (implicated in emotion regulation) was inversely associated with bias. Activity in reward and regulatory regions accounted for half of the total variation in consensus bias across participants (R2= .503). This research complements models of the FCE in social psychology, providing a glimpse into the neural mechanisms underlying this important phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Santa Barbara.
authors.forename: B Locke
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Welborn
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Benjamin C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Gunter
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: I Stephanie
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Vezich
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lieberman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D032921:Consensus; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D011385:Projection; D012201:Reward; D000068356:Self-Control; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult