This preprint examines the neural mechanisms that underlie conformity to one’s own prior behavior (self-conformity) and to a group. Using a sequential facial attractiveness-rating task with ostensible reminders of participants’ earlier ratings, the authors tested whether participants shift current judgments toward prior self-ratings and toward group ratings. Behavioral and functional imaging data indicate shared and distinct prefrontal mechanisms for self- and group-influence. Note: this article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review.
Participants completed a sequential facial attractiveness-rating task in which reminders of their previous ratings (self condition) or of group ratings (group condition) were presented. Rating data showed that, on average, participants adjusted current ratings in the direction of both their earlier self-ratings and the presented group ratings, indicating measurable self-conformity and group conformity in this paradigm.
Importantly, the sample exhibited individual variability: some participants showed pronounced shifts toward the provided reference (described as over-conformity), whereas others changed their ratings away from the reference (described as anti-conformity). These patterns appeared in both self and group conditions, indicating that conformity and anti-conformity tendencies can apply equally to reminders about the self and to social information.
Functional imaging results identified prefrontal regions whose activity correlated with conformity-related behavioral adjustments. Specifically, activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) was associated with the magnitude of both self- and group conformity, suggesting these areas play a general role in shifting judgments toward an external or prior reference.
The authors interpret these associations as evidence that both self- and group-guided adjustment of judgments recruit overlapping prefrontal mechanisms, consistent with the idea that the cognitive processes used to treat reminders of one’s own past behavior are at least partially shared with those used to process social information from others.
Beyond shared correlates, the imaging data indicated spatially distinct prefrontal engagement when contrasting self- versus group-related influence and over- versus anti-conformity:
Self- versus group-conformity: The contrast revealed relatively greater engagement of more medial prefrontal regions for self-related influence and relatively greater engagement of lateral prefrontal regions for group-related influence. This medial–lateral dissociation suggests partially distinct neural substrates are preferentially recruited when the reference is the self versus when it is a social group.
Over- versus anti-conformity: The contrast between participants who shifted strongly toward the provided reference (over-conformity) and those who shifted away (anti-conformity) implicated a ventral–dorsal distinction within prefrontal cortex. Over-conformity related more to ventral prefrontal regions, whereas anti-conformity related more to dorsal prefrontal regions.
These spatial distinctions are reported as relative patterns of engagement rather than absolute claims of exclusive localization; the authors present them as evidence that self- and group-conformity rely on both common and dedicated neural mechanisms within the prefrontal cortex.
Behaviorally, individual differences were prominent: participants varied along a continuum from over-conformity to anti-conformity in both the self and group conditions. The neural contrasts linking ventral versus dorsal prefrontal engagement with over- versus anti-conformity indicate that these behavioral phenotypes have distinct neural correlates in the prefrontal cortex within the same experimental paradigm.
The study emphasizes that treating the self as a source of social information engages many of the same neural systems implicated in social influence from others, while also recruiting partially distinct prefrontal subregions depending on whether the referent is the self or the group and on the directionality of conformity.
The authors report no competing interests. Supplementary materials, data, and code resources are provided via external repositories noted by the authors (OSF, GitHub, and Zenodo links were listed in the source). Funding sources declared include the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Readers should note this work is a preprint and has not undergone peer review; methodological and interpretive details beyond what is summarized here are available in the full manuscript and supplementary materials linked by the authors.