@article{RodriguesLiesnerReutteretal.2020, author = {Rodrigues, Johannes and Liesner, Marvin and Reutter, Mario and Mussel, Patrick and Hewig, Johannes}, title = {It's costly punishment, not altruistic: Low midfrontal theta and state anger predict punishment}, series = {Psychophysiology}, volume = {57}, journal = {Psychophysiology}, number = {8}, doi = {10.1111/psyp.13557}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214696}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Punishment in economic games has been interpreted as "altruistic." However, it was shown that punishment is related to trait anger instead of trait altruism in a third-party dictator game if compensation is also available. Here, we investigated the influence of state anger on punishment and compensation in the third-party dictator game. Therefore, we used movie sequences for emotional priming, including the target states anger, happy, and neutral. We measured the Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) and midfrontal theta band activation, to investigate an electro-cortical correlate of the processing of fair and unfair offers. Also, we assessed single-trial FRN and midfrontal theta band activation as a predictor for punishment and compensation. We found that punishment was linked to state anger. Midfrontal theta band activation, which has previously been linked to altruistic acts and cognitive control, predicted less punishment. Additionally, trait anger led to enhanced FRN for unfair offers. This led to the interpretation that the FRN depicts the evaluation of fairness, while midfrontal theta band activation captures an aspect of cognitive control and altruistic motivation. We conclude that we need to redefine "altruistic punishment" into "costly punishment," as no direct link of altruism and punishment is given. Additionally, midfrontal theta band activation complements the FRN and offers additional insights into complex responses and decision processes, especially as a single trial predictor. }, language = {en} } @article{RodriguesNagowskiMusseletal.2018, author = {Rodrigues, Johannes and Nagowski, Natalie and Mussel, Patrick and Hewig, Johannes}, title = {Altruistic punishment is connected to trait anger, not trait altruism, if compensation is available}, series = {Heliyon}, volume = {4}, journal = {Heliyon}, number = {11}, doi = {10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00962}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-177669}, pages = {e00962}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation are important concepts that are used to investigate altruism. However, altruistic punishment has been found to be correlated with anger. We were interested whether altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation are both driven by trait altruism and trait anger or whether the influence of those two traits is more specific to one of the behavioral options. We found that if the participants were able to apply altruistic compensation and altruistic punishment together in one paradigm, trait anger only predicts altruistic punishment and trait altruism only predicts altruistic compensation. Interestingly, these relations are disguised in classical altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation paradigms where participants can either only punish or compensate. Hence altruistic punishment and altruistic compensation paradigms should be merged together if one is interested in trait altruism without the confounding influence of trait anger.}, language = {en} } @article{RodriguesUlrichMusseletal.2017, author = {Rodrigues, Johannes and Ulrich, Natalie and Mussel, Patrick and Carlo, Gustavo and Hewig, Johannes}, title = {Measuring prosocial tendencies in Germany: sources of validity and reliablity of the revised prosocial tendency measure}, series = {Frontiers in Psychology}, volume = {8}, journal = {Frontiers in Psychology}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02119}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-159351}, pages = {2119}, year = {2017}, abstract = {The prosocial tendencies measure (PTM; Carlo and Randall, 2002) is a widely used measurement for prosocial tendencies in English speaking participants. This instrument distinguishes between six different types of prosocial tendencies that partly share some common basis, but also can be opposed to each other. To examine these constructs in Germany, a study with 1067 participants was conducted. The study investigated the structure of this German version of the PTM-R via exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations with similar constructs in subsamples as well as via measurement invariance test concerning the original English version. The German translation showed a similar factor structure to the English version in exploratory factor analysis and in confirmatory factor analysis. Measurement invariance was found between the English and German language versions of the PTM and support for the proposed six-factor structure (altruistic, anonymous, compliant, dire, emotional and public prosocial behavior) was also found in confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, the expected interrelations of these factors of prosocial behavior tendencies were obtained. Finally, correlations of the prosocial behavior tendencies with validating constructs and behaviors were found. Thus, the findings stress the importance of seeing prosocial behavior not as a single dimension construct, but as a factored construct which now can also be assessed in German speaking participants.}, language = {en} }