title: The neural representation of competence traits: An fMRI study.
abstract: Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed that a trait code is mainly represented in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). However, those studies only investigated the neural code of warmth traits. According to the 'Big Two' model of impression formation, competence traits are the other major dimension when we judge others. The current study explored the neural representation of competence traits by using an fMRI repetition suppression paradigm, which is a rapid reduction of neuronal responses upon repeated presentation of the same implied trait. Participants had to infer an agent's trait from brief behavioral descriptions that implied a competence trait. In each trial, the critical target sentence was preceded by a prime sentence that implied the same or opposite competence-related trait, or no trait. The results revealed robust repetition suppression from prime to target in the vmPFC and precuneus during trait conditions. Critically, the suppression effect was much stronger after being primed with a similar and opposite competence trait compared with a trait-irrelevant prime. This suppression pattern was found nowhere else in the brain. Consistent with previous fMRI studies, we suggest that the neural code of competence traits is represented in these two brain areas with different levels of abstraction.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health &Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health &Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Simin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health &Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Quansen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Southeast University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Tingyong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Overwalle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D059906:Neuroimaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult