Unraveling the Social Hierarchy: Exploring Behavioral and Neural Dynamics in Shaping Inhibitory Control

AuthorsSoroush Fazel, Abdol-Hossein Vahabie, Farhad Farkhondeh Tale Navi, Soomaayeh Heysieattalab
JournalBehavioural Brain Research
Paper TypeFull Paper
Published At2024/1/5
Journal GradeISI
Journal TypeTypographic
Journal CountryNetherlands

Abstract

Inhibitory control is crucial for regulating emotions, suppressing biases, and inhibiting inappropriate responses in social interactions. Social rank, or perceived position in the hierarchy, can influence inhibitory control, with high-rank individuals requiring it to regulate dominant behavior and low-rank individuals requiring it to regulate emotional reactions or avoid submissive behaviors. Furthermore, research suggests that social status can affect the neural mechanisms underlying inhibitory control, leading to differences in abilities and strategies based on perceived rank. In this study, we investigated the effects of social rank on inhibitory control using a dot estimation task to prime social hierarchy. Subsequently, we assessed the inhibitory control of the participants using a Go/Nogo task with photos of individuals in different social ranks. The study recruited a total of 43 students (22 males and 21 females), with a mean …