Neural dynamics of perceived agreement and disagreement with peer and expert opinions: An MEG study

Individuals change their opinions under the influence of others' opinions; however, the extent and nature of this influence critically depend on their attitudes toward those exerting the influence. In this study, we compare two sources of influence that drive conformity behavior: an expert group, and a peer group. Furthermore, we investigate the underlying neural dynamics using magnetoencephalography to determine whether the processing of these two influences shares their neural mechanisms. Twenty-two participants performed a task in a fashion choice context and received feedback from a peer and an expert group. When participants re-evaluated the clothing after a delay, we found that participants' opinions changed in line with disagreement feedback when feedback was lower than the participant's first rating – without distinct conformity to the social sources. On the neural level, however, there was a difference between conflict with peer and expert groups, with a stronger response for peers in 170–590 ms time window in gradiometer channels. Furthermore, agreement evoked stronger neural responses than conflict, in 590–960 ms time window in magnetometer channels. Taken together, our findings suggest that conflicting feedback from peers and experts regarding clothing preferences elicits distinct temporal dynamics. However, conformity behavior is influenced solely by the feedback valence.