Neural Mechanisms in Prospective and Retrospective Thinking of Sustainable Behaviors
Poster No:
2321
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Yue-Shin Liu1, HarnChiat Tan1, Chun-Chia Kung1,2, Der-Yow Chen1,2, Ming-Hung Weng3, Yen-Lien Kuo3, Chang-Ching Lin3, Fu-Zen Shaw1,2,4
Institutions:
1Department of Psychology, NCKU, Tainan City, Taiwan, 2Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU, Tainan City, Taiwan, 3Department of Economics, NCKU, Tainan City, Taiwan, 4Institute of Basic Medical Science, NCKU, Tainan City, Taiwan
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Chun-Chia Kung, Dr.
Department of Psychology, NCKU|Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU
Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan
Department of Psychology, NCKU|Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU
Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan
Der-Yow Chen
Department of Psychology, NCKU|Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU
Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan
Department of Psychology, NCKU|Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU
Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan
Fu-Zen Shaw, Dr.
Department of Psychology, NCKU|Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU|Institute of Basic Medical Science, NCKU
Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan
Department of Psychology, NCKU|Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, NCKU|Institute of Basic Medical Science, NCKU
Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan|Tainan City, Taiwan
Introduction:
In recent years, global environmental awareness has risen, prompting many nations to focus on sustainable development. In the Global Risks Report 2023 presented by the World Economic Forum (WEF), environmental risks constitute most of the top ten global risks. This growing awareness has led to an expansion of related research. Brevers et al. (2021) introduced fMRI experiments to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying environmental behavior, compared to traditional methods such as questionnaire surveys or behavioral experiments. They also proposed that individuals projecting themselves in the future, or the so-called prospective thinking, contribute to genuine increases in later environmentally friendly behaviors. Building upon the work of Brevers et al. (2021), this study incorporates modifications to the experimental design and introduces simulations of past and future sustainable behaviors. Through this, the research aims to compare and extend the findings of Brevers et al. (2021).
Methods:
The study recruited 51 participants in tasks involving exposure to pictures about (un-)sustainable behaviors. Subsequently, participants were prompted to engage in simulated imaginings of past or future scenarios related to these behaviors. Following this, participants were asked to provide ratings (from 1 to 4) indicating the perceived feasibility of the associated behaviors. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to capture neural responses during these simulations and rating tasks. GLM analysis and whole-brain searchlight MVPA were used to analyze the fMRI data.
Results:
The behavioral results suggest a potential inclination among individuals to enhance sustainable behaviors in the future, similar to the findings of Brevers et al. (2021). GLM analysis also suggests that we approximately replicated Brevers et al.'s results. Notably, Taiwanese participants showed de-activations of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in contrast of "sustainable (do-more) vs. unsustainable" (do-less) pictures, as shown by Brevers et al. (2021) with their Belgium participants. Previous studies have linked vmPFC activation to decision-making and value computation. We speculate that this difference may stem from cultural variations (e.g., including environmental education) among participants. While expressing a similar willingness to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors, Taiwanese participants may not identify it as personally relevant. In the whole-brain searchlight MVPA, the insula was identified as a crucial brain region for assessing whether participants exhibited increased environmentally friendly behaviors prospectively and retrospectively. We propose that Taiwanese students might rely on pain-related bodily feelings, such as social emotions.
Conclusions:
Even though in behavioral experiments, participants demonstrated an increased willingness towards environmentally friendly behaviors, the fMRI data revealed differences from the results reported by Brevers et al. (2021). While this study builds upon the groundwork laid by Brevers et al. (2021), it deviates in some aspects, potentially due to a different participant pool (we think it as the primary reason), slight modifications of the experimental design, and cultural adaptations of stimuli. Exploring neural mechanisms of sustainable behavior simulations provides valuable insights into potential shifts in individuals' attitudes and behaviors towards sustainability, contributing to the broader discourse on environmental consciousness and sustainable development.
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Decision Making 2
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
BOLD fMRI 1
Keywords:
FUNCTIONAL MRI
NORMAL HUMAN
Other - Sustainability; Prospective thinking; Retrospective thinking
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
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Uddin, L. Q. et al. (2017). 'Structure and Function of the Human Insula', Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, vol. 34(4), pp. 300–306. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNP.0000000000000377