Neural correlates of co-players’ identity and reputation processing on cooperation in the public goods game

This study investigates the neural correlates of identity and reputation processing in cooperative decision-making during the Public Goods Game (PGG). Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we examined how different types of social information—co-player facial photos, reputational scores, and a combination of both—influence activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Our findings suggest that the dlPFC is crucial for integrating reputational information, reflecting its role in cognitive control and modulation of expectations during cooperative interactions. The vmPFC, on the other hand, is involved in attributing value to the cooperative decision by synthesizing identity and reputation cues. Reputation alone elicited greater dlPFC activity, highlighting the cognitive demands of evaluating past behaviors. When both identity and reputation information were presented, vmPFC activity increased, indicating greater value processing. These results demonstrate the distinct but complementary roles of the dlPFC and vmPFC in processing social cues during cooperative decision-making.