A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others
Abstract People are self-biased for rewards. We place a higher value on rewards if we receive them than if other people do. However, existing work has ignored one of the most powerful theorems from behavioural ecology of how animals seek resources in everyday life, the Marginal Value Theorem (MVT),...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69452-x |
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| _version_ | 1850196302864842752 |
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| author | Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta M. Andrea Pisauro Svenja Küchenhoff Arno Gekiere Campbell Le Heron Patricia L. Lockwood Matthew A. J. Apps |
| author_facet | Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta M. Andrea Pisauro Svenja Küchenhoff Arno Gekiere Campbell Le Heron Patricia L. Lockwood Matthew A. J. Apps |
| author_sort | Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract People are self-biased for rewards. We place a higher value on rewards if we receive them than if other people do. However, existing work has ignored one of the most powerful theorems from behavioural ecology of how animals seek resources in everyday life, the Marginal Value Theorem (MVT), which accounts for optimal behaviour for maximising resources intake rate. Does this self-bias help humans maximise rewards when foraging for their own benefit compared to foraging for the benefit of others? Participants had to decide when to leave patches where reward intake was gradually depleting, in environments with different average reward rates. Half of the time participants foraged for themselves, and in the other half they collected rewards for an anonymous stranger. The optimal MVT derived solution states people should leave when the instantaneous reward intake in a patch equals the average rate in an environment. Across two studies, people were more optimal when foraging for self, showing a reduced sensitivity to instantaneous rewards when foraging for other. Autistic traits were linked to reduced sensitivity to reward rates when foraging for self but not for other. These results highlight that the self-bias may be adaptive, helping people maximise reward intake. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-71533c3cfa7641f98566e95bea5cc35a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-71533c3cfa7641f98566e95bea5cc35a2025-08-20T02:13:31ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-11-0114111610.1038/s41598-024-69452-xA reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than othersLuis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta0M. Andrea Pisauro1Svenja Küchenhoff2Arno Gekiere3Campbell Le Heron4Patricia L. Lockwood5Matthew A. J. Apps6Department of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordCentre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamWellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, FMRIB, John Radcliffe HospitalDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordDepartment of Medicine, University of OtagoDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of OxfordAbstract People are self-biased for rewards. We place a higher value on rewards if we receive them than if other people do. However, existing work has ignored one of the most powerful theorems from behavioural ecology of how animals seek resources in everyday life, the Marginal Value Theorem (MVT), which accounts for optimal behaviour for maximising resources intake rate. Does this self-bias help humans maximise rewards when foraging for their own benefit compared to foraging for the benefit of others? Participants had to decide when to leave patches where reward intake was gradually depleting, in environments with different average reward rates. Half of the time participants foraged for themselves, and in the other half they collected rewards for an anonymous stranger. The optimal MVT derived solution states people should leave when the instantaneous reward intake in a patch equals the average rate in an environment. Across two studies, people were more optimal when foraging for self, showing a reduced sensitivity to instantaneous rewards when foraging for other. Autistic traits were linked to reduced sensitivity to reward rates when foraging for self but not for other. These results highlight that the self-bias may be adaptive, helping people maximise reward intake.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69452-x |
| spellingShingle | Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta M. Andrea Pisauro Svenja Küchenhoff Arno Gekiere Campbell Le Heron Patricia L. Lockwood Matthew A. J. Apps A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others Scientific Reports |
| title | A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others |
| title_full | A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others |
| title_fullStr | A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others |
| title_full_unstemmed | A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others |
| title_short | A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others |
| title_sort | reward self bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69452-x |
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