Construction of individual-specific social cognitive maps in the human brain

Social interactions depend on social cognitive maps (SCMs) in the brain. We investigate how SCMs emerge during partner selection based on trial-by-trial feedback about candidates' generosity and competence. We show that the candidates spread out in a subjective two-dimensional SCM defined by preference-weighted values of generosity and competence. SCMs show individual-specific preference orientations, ranging from an extreme preference for generosity to extreme preference for competence. The medial and lateral prefrontal cortices support SCM construction by tracking relative distances between two potential partners and integrating feedback to update all potential partners' locations in the SCMs. After the partner-selection task, this frontal network, together with the temporoparietal junction and posterior cingulate/precuneus, support computations of the distance between two potential partners along the preference orientations of individual-specific SCMs to guide further social decision-making. Our findings decipher the neural mechanisms underlying dynamic construction of individual-specific SCMs as a basis for adaptive social navigation.