1
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Forbes CE. On the neural networks of self and other bias and their role in emergent social interactions. Cortex 2024; 177:113-129. [PMID: 38848651 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Extensive research has documented the brain networks that play an integral role in bias, or the alteration and filtration of information processing in a manner that fundamentally favors an individual. The roots of bias, whether self- or other-oriented, are a complex constellation of neural and psychological processes that start at the most fundamental levels of sensory processing. From the millisecond information is received in the brain it is filtered at various levels and through various brain networks in relation to extant intrinsic activity to provide individuals with a perception of reality that complements and satisfies the conscious perceptions they have for themselves and the cultures in which they were reared. The products of these interactions, in turn, are dynamically altered by the introduction of others, be they friends or strangers who are similar or different in socially meaningful ways. While much is known about the various ways that basic biases alter specific aspects of neural function to support various forms of bias, the breadth and scope of the phenomenon remains entirely unclear. The purpose of this review is to examine the brain networks that shape (i.e., bias) the self-concept and how interactions with similar (ingroup) compared to dissimilar (outgroup) others alter these network (and subsequent interpersonal) interactions in fundamental ways. Throughout, focus is placed on an emerging understanding of the brain as a complex system, which suggests that many of these network interactions likely occur on a non-linear scale that blurs the lines between network hierarchies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad E Forbes
- Social Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA; Florida Atlantic University Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, USA.
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2
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Gautheron F, Quinton JC, Smeding A. Conflict in moral and nonmoral decision making: an empirical study coupled with a computational model. Cogn Process 2024; 25:281-303. [PMID: 38451385 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-024-01178-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
While moral psychology research has extensively studied decision making using moral dilemmas, such high-conflict situations may not fully represent all moral decisions. Moreover, most studies on the effect of conflict have focused on nonmoral decisions, and it is unclear how it applies to the moral realm. The present mixed-method research investigates how conflict impacts moral compared to nonmoral decision making. In a preregistered empirical study ( N = 42 ), participants made moral and nonmoral decisions with varying levels of conflict while their mouse trajectories were recorded. Results indicate that moral decisions were more stable in the presence of conflict, while still seeking compromise. In addition, decisions were more affected when conflict got higher. Mouse-tracking data further indicate that some factors are impacting the decision process earlier than others, supporting the relevance of tracing methods to dig into finer-grained decision dynamics. We also present a computational model that aims to capture decision mechanisms and how conflict and morality influence decision making. The model uses dynamic neural fields coupled with sensorimotor control to map a continuous decision space. Two model versions were compared: one with greater perceptual weight for moral information, and another with earlier processing of moral versus nonmoral information. The simulated data more successfully reproduced empirical patterns for the second version, thus providing insights into the underlying decision processes for both moral and nonmoral decisions, in the presence of conflict or not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flora Gautheron
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, LIP/PC2S, 38000, Grenoble, France
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LJK, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Annique Smeding
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, LIP/PC2S, 38000, Grenoble, France.
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3
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Bernard-Arevalo SP, Laforce RJ, Khayat O, Bouchard V, Bruneau MA, Brunelle S, Caron S, Chamelian L, Chénard M, Côté JF, Crépeau-Gendron G, Doré MC, Fortin MP, Gagnon N, Gagnon PR, Giroux C, Jean L, Létourneau G, Marceau É, Moreau V, Morin M, Ouellet C, Poulin S, Radermaker S, Rousseau K, Touchette C, Dumais A. Clinical Assessment of Judgment in Adults and the Elderly: Development and Validation of the Three Domains of Judgment Test-Clinical Version (3DJT-CV). J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12113740. [PMID: 37297934 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12113740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: This article discusses the first two phases of development and validation of the Three Domains of Judgment Test (3DJT). This computer-based tool, co-constructed with users and capable of being administered remotely, aims to assess the three main domains of judgment (practical, moral, and social) and learn from the psychometric weaknesses of tests currently used in clinical practice. (2) Method: First, we presented the 3DJT to experts in cognition, who evaluated the tool as a whole as well as the content validity, relevance, and acceptability of 72 scenarios. Second, an improved version was administered to 70 subjects without cognitive impairment to select scenarios with the best psychometric properties in order to build a future clinically short version of the test. (3) Results: Fifty-six scenarios were retained following expert evaluation. Results support the idea that the improved version has good internal consistency, and the concurrent validity primer shows that 3DJT is a good measure of judgment. Furthermore, the improved version was found to have a significant number of scenarios with good psychometric properties to prepare a clinical version of the test. (4) Conclusion: The 3DJT is an interesting alternative tool for assessing judgment. However, more studies are needed for its implementation in a clinical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon-Pierre Bernard-Arevalo
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC H1N 3V2, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Robert Jr Laforce
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Department of Neurological Sciences, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Olivier Khayat
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC H1N 3V2, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Vital Bouchard
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Marie-Andrée Bruneau
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3W 1W4, Canada
| | - Sarah Brunelle
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC H3L 1K5, Canada
| | - Stéphanie Caron
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Laury Chamelian
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2X 0C1, Canada
| | - Marise Chénard
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Jean-François Côté
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Crépeau-Gendron
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC H3L 1K5, Canada
| | - Marie-Claire Doré
- Department of Neurological Sciences, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Marie-Pierre Fortin
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Nadine Gagnon
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Pierre R Gagnon
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Chloé Giroux
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Léonie Jean
- Department of Neurological Sciences, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Geneviève Létourneau
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
| | - Émilie Marceau
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Vincent Moreau
- Institut de Réadaptation en Déficience Physique de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1W 1P7, Canada
| | - Michèle Morin
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux de Chaudière-Appalaches, Sainte-Marie, QC G6E 3E2, Canada
| | - Christine Ouellet
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
| | - Stéphane Poulin
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Steve Radermaker
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Katerine Rousseau
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
| | - Catherine Touchette
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1C 3S2, Canada
| | - Alexandre Dumais
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, QC H1N 3V2, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
- Institut National de Psychiatrie Légale Philippe-Pinel, Montreal, QC H1C 1H1, Canada
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4
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Seara-Cardoso A. The "(a)moral brain": When things go wrong. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2023; 197:107-117. [PMID: 37633704 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-821375-9.00008-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
In the past decades, a growing interest of neuroscience on moral judgment and decision-making has shed new light on the neurobiological correlates of human morality. It is now understood that moral cognition relies on a complex integration of cognitive and affective information processes that implicate a widely distributed brain network. Moral cognition relies on the coordination of several domain-general processes, subserved by domain-general neural networks, rather than a specific moral cognition system subserved by a specific neural network. In this chapter, we will first briefly review what is currently known about the "moral brain," i.e., the network of brain regions consistently implicated in studies of moral cognition, which include decision-making, affective processing, mentalizing, and perspective-taking processing regions. We will then review the evidence of the impairments found in this network in individuals with psychopathy, a condition whose characteristics indicate profound disturbances in appropriate moral processing. We will present data from neuroimaging studies with forensic/clinical, general population, as well as child and adolescent samples, which seem to converge to support the notion that the moral dysfunction observed in individuals with psychopathy may stem from a disruption of affective components of moral processing rather than from an inability to compute moral judgments per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Seara-Cardoso
- Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
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5
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Baez S, Trujillo-Llano C, de Souza LC, Lillo P, Forno G, Santamaría-García H, Okuma C, Alegria P, Huepe D, Ibáñez A, Decety J, Slachevsky A. Moral Emotions and Their Brain Structural Correlates Across Neurodegenerative Disorders. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 92:153-169. [PMID: 36710684 PMCID: PMC11181819 DOI: 10.3233/jad-221131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although social cognition is compromised in patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), research on moral emotions and their neural correlates in these populations is scarce. No previous study has explored the utility of moral emotions, compared to and in combination with classical general cognitive state tools, to discriminate bvFTD from AD patients. OBJECTIVE To examine self-conscious (guilt and embarrassment) and other-oriented (pity and indignation) moral emotions, their subjective experience, and their structural brain underpinnings in bvFTD (n = 31) and AD (n = 30) patients, compared to healthy controls (n = 37). We also explored the potential utility of moral emotions measures to discriminate bvFTD from AD. METHODS We used a modified version of the Moral Sentiment Task measuring the participants' accuracy scores and their emotional subjective experiences. RESULTS bvFTD patients exhibited greater impairments in self-conscious and other-oriented moral emotions as compared with AD patients and healthy controls. Moral emotions combined with general cognitive state tools emerged as useful measures to discriminate bvFTD from AD patients. In bvFTD patients, lower moral emotions scores were associated with lower gray matter volumes in caudate nucleus and inferior and middle temporal gyri. In AD, these scores were associated with lower gray matter volumes in superior and middle frontal gyri, middle temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and supramarginal gyrus. CONCLUSION These findings contribute to a better understanding of moral emotion deficits across neurodegenerative disorders, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating this domain into the clinical assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catalina Trujillo-Llano
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- Department of Neurology, Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Leonardo Cruz de Souza
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Patricia Lillo
- Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Neurologia Sur, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gonzalo Forno
- Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Physiopathology Department - ICBM, Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Hernando Santamaría-García
- Centro de Memoria y Cognición Intellectus, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Universidad Javeriana, PhD Program of Neuroscience, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Cecilia Okuma
- Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Servicio de Neurorradiología, Instituto de Neurocirugía Dr. Asenjo, Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Oriente, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricio Alegria
- Servicio de Radiología, Hospital Barros Luco Trudeau, San Miguel, Chile
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Latin American Brain Health Institute, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Andrea Slachevsky
- Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Physiopathology Department - ICBM, Neuroscience and East Neuroscience Departments, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Memory and Neuropsychiatric Center, Neurology Department, Hospital del Salvador and Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Servicio de Neurología, Departamento de Medicina, Clínica Alemana-Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
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6
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Speer SPH, Smidts A, Boksem MAS. Cognitive control and dishonesty. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:796-808. [PMID: 35840475 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Dishonesty is ubiquitous and imposes substantial financial and social burdens on society. Intuitively, dishonesty results from a failure of willpower to control selfish behavior. However, recent research suggests that the role of cognitive control in dishonesty is more complex. We review evidence that cognitive control is not needed to be honest or dishonest per se, but that it depends on individual differences in what we call one's 'moral default': for those who are prone to dishonesty, cognitive control indeed aids in being honest, but for those who are already generally honest, cognitive control may help them cheat to occasionally profit from small acts of dishonesty. Thus, the role of cognitive control in (dis)honesty is to override the moral default.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian P H Speer
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Ale Smidts
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten A S Boksem
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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7
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Jiang Q, Zhuo L, Wang Q, Lin W. The Neural Basis of Moral Judgement for Self and for Others: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:919499. [PMID: 35693541 PMCID: PMC9184798 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.919499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental and neuroscience works have demonstrated that the moral judgment is influenced by theory of mind (ToM), which refers to the ability to represent the mental states of different agents. However, the neural and cognitive time course of interactions between moral judgment and ToM remains unclear. The present event-related potential (ERP) study investigated the underlying neural substrate of the interaction between moral judgment and ToM by contrasting the ERPs elicited by moral judgments for self and for others in moral dilemmas. In classic moral dilemmas, the agents must choose between the utilitarian choice (taking the action to kill or harm an innocent person but saving more people) and the non-utilitarian choice (taking no action to kill or harm the innocent person but letting some people die). The ERPs were recorded from participants who made moral judgments for self and for others when the agent made utilitarian or non-utilitarian choices during the dilemma. The results revealed that the moral judgment for others elicited a larger frontal late positive component (LPC, 500–900 ms) than that for self when the agents made utilitarian choices, while no difference was observed on early components of N1, P2, and N2. Moreover, individual differences in mentalizing ability were negatively correlated with the LPC amplitudes. These findings suggested that ToM modulated the late controlled process but not the early automatic process during moral judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Jiang
- Research Center of Psychology and Education, School of Marxism, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- *Correspondence: Qin Jiang,
| | - Linglin Zhuo
- Research Center of Psychology and Education, School of Marxism, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenxia Lin
- Research Center of Psychology and Education, School of Marxism, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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8
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Yang J, Gu R, Liu J, Deng K, Huang X, Luo YJ, Cui F. To Blame or Not? Modulating Third-Party Punishment with the Framing Effect. Neurosci Bull 2022; 38:533-547. [PMID: 34988911 PMCID: PMC9106775 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00808-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
People as third-party observers, without direct self-interest, may punish norm violators to maintain social norms. However, third-party judgment and the follow-up punishment might be susceptible to the way we frame (i.e., verbally describe) a norm violation. We conducted a behavioral and a neuroimaging experiment to investigate the above phenomenon, which we call the "third-party framing effect". In these experiments, participants observed an anonymous perpetrator deciding whether to keep her/his economic benefit while exposing a victim to a risk of physical pain (described as "harming others" in one condition and "not helping others" in the other condition), then they had a chance to punish that perpetrator at their own cost. Our results showed that the participants were more willing to execute third-party punishment under the harm frame compared to the help frame, manifesting a framing effect. Self-reported anger toward perpetrators mediated the relationship between empathy toward victims and the framing effect. Meanwhile, activation of the insula mediated the relationship between mid-cingulate cortex activation and the framing effect; the functional connectivity between these regions significantly predicted the size of the framing effect. These findings shed light on the psychological and neural mechanisms of the third-party framing effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiamiao Yang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Kexin Deng
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Huang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yue-Jia Luo
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Fang Cui
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. .,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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9
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Domínguez-Borràs J, Vuilleumier P. Amygdala function in emotion, cognition, and behavior. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 187:359-380. [PMID: 35964983 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-823493-8.00015-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a core structure in the anterior medial temporal lobe, with an important role in several brain functions involving memory, emotion, perception, social cognition, and even awareness. As a key brain structure for saliency detection, it triggers and controls widespread modulatory signals onto multiple areas of the brain, with a great impact on numerous aspects of adaptive behavior. Here we discuss the neural mechanisms underlying these functions, as established by animal and human research, including insights provided in both healthy and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Domínguez-Borràs
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology & Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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10
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D’Aurizio G, Santoboni F, Pistoia F, Mandolesi L, Curcio G. Moral Judgement along the Academic Training. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 19:10. [PMID: 35010271 PMCID: PMC8750934 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Moral reasoning and consequent decision making are central in the everyday life of all people, independent of their profession. It is undoubtedly crucial in the so-called "helping professions", when the professional through his/her decisions can support or not support others. Our study aimed to investigate whether academic training can play an essential role in influencing moral reasoning. We used three different conditions: 20 moral personal, 20 moral impersonal, and 20 nonmoral dilemmas to assessed differences in moral judgement between students of Economics, Medicine, and Psychology at their first year and at the end of university training. We observed a difference between school and year of course: psychology students showing more time when asked to read and answer the proposed questions. Moreover, medical students showed a significant increase in sensitiveness to moral issues as a function of academic ageing, whereas such a moral sense regressed from the first to the fifth year of academic training in other students. Gender was also relevant, with women showing an increased response and reading times compared to than men when asked to cope with moral decisions. This study shows that the main factor driving moral decision making is the faculty to which one is enrolled, significantly modulated by sex and academic seniority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia D’Aurizio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (G.D.); (F.P.)
| | - Fabrizio Santoboni
- Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy;
| | - Francesca Pistoia
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (G.D.); (F.P.)
| | - Laura Mandolesi
- Department of Humanities Studies, University Federico II, 80138 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Giuseppe Curcio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (G.D.); (F.P.)
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11
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Altered Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode Network in Male Juvenile Violent Offenders. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 16:608-616. [PMID: 34480692 PMCID: PMC9010331 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00535-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Young males are often associated with more violence, leading to some serious negative consequences. However, the physiology and the neuroimaging patterns underlying juvenile violence remain unclear. Of the limited knowledge on juvenile violence, the default mode network has been known to be associated with its pathophysiology. This study aimed to investigate functional connectivity alterations of the default mode network in male juvenile violent offenders. 31 juvenile violent offenders in a high-security facility, who were convicted of aggressive behaviors by court, and 28 normal controls from a middle school were recruited as participants. They underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. And independent component analysis approaches were used to analyze their data. Compared to the normal controls, the juvenile violent offenders showed a different default mode network pattern, with the functional connectivity increased in the posterior cingulate, and decreased in the right middle temporal, left angular, right precuneus and right middle frontal cortex. Our findings revealed that the male juvenile violent offenders were associated with abnormal default mode network functional connectivity, which might be a neuroimaging basis for their tendency to violence.
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12
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Fariña A, Rojek-Giffin M, Gross J, De Dreu CKW. Social Preferences Correlate with Cortical Thickness of the Orbito-Frontal Cortex. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:1191-1203. [PMID: 34117486 PMCID: PMC8599202 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans differ in their preferences for personal rewards, fairness and others’ welfare. Such social preferences predict trust, public goods provision and mutual gains bargaining and have been linked to neural activity in regions involved in reward computation, cognitive control and perspective-taking. Although shaped by culture, social preferences are relatively stable across time, raising the question whether differences in brain anatomy predict social preferences and their key components—concern for personal outcomes and concern for others’ outcomes. Here, we examine this possibility by linking social preferences measured with incentivized economic games to 74 cortical parcels in 194 healthy humans. Neither concerns for personal outcomes nor concerns for the outcomes of others in isolation were related to anatomical differences. However, fitting earlier findings, social preferences positively scaled with cortical thickness in the left olfactory sulcus, a structure in the orbital frontal cortex previously shown to be involved in value-based decision-making. Consistent with work showing that heavier usage corresponds to larger brain volume, findings suggest that pro-social preferences relate to cortical thickness in the left olfactory sulcus because of heavier reliance on the orbital frontal cortex during social decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Fariña
- Institute for Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Rojek-Giffin
- Institute for Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jörg Gross
- Institute for Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Carsten K W De Dreu
- Institute for Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Center for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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13
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Neuroanatomy of complex social emotion dysregulation in adolescent offenders. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1083-1100. [PMID: 33973160 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00903-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Social emotions require the correct integration of emotional, cognitive, and social processes and are critical for complex social interactions. Adolescent criminal offenders (AOs) show abnormalities in the experience of basic emotions. However, most research has focused solely on basic emotions, neglecting complex social emotions that could be critical for social reintegration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral and neural correlates of social emotions (envy and Schadenfreude) in AOs. We explored the experience of complex social emotions, as well as their anatomical correlates, in AOs (n = 19) and a nonoffenders control group (NOs, n = 20). Additionally, we assessed the relationship between social emotions, executive functions (EFs), and fluid intelligence (FI). Structural brain imaging was obtained in all participants. The results showed that AOs had significantly lower envy and Schadenfreude ratings and exhibited lower performance in EFs compared with NOs. The measurement of EFs relied on the INECO frontal screening (IFS). Experiencing fewer social emotions was associated with diminished EFs but not with FI. Moreover, in AOs, reduced levels of envy and Schadenfreude were linked with reduced gray matter volumes in regions subserving mentalizing abilities (inferior parietal lobe and precuneus) and socioemotional processing (inferior and middle temporal regions), as well as key hubs of the executive frontoparietal network (inferior parietal lobule, orbital and rectus gyri). Additional analysis on the AOs revealed no associations between the type of crime and our variables of interest (EFs, FI and social emotions). Our findings are the first to provide evidence on abnormalities in the experience of social emotions in AOs that are associated with neurocognitive markers of social cognition and EFs. Understanding social emotions and their abnormalities (under-experience) as complex intertwined processes may have important future translational implications, including risk prediction for social adaptation/reintegration, sociocognitive targeted interventions, and skill training for social emotions in vulnerable populations.
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14
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Dickenson JA, Diamond L, King JB, Jenson K, Anderson JS. Understanding heterosexual women's erotic flexibility: the role of attention in sexual evaluations and neural responses to sexual stimuli. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:447-465. [PMID: 32415978 PMCID: PMC7308660 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many women experience desires, arousal and behavior that run counter to their sexual orientation (orientation inconsistent, 'OI'). Are such OI sexual experiences cognitively and neurobiologically distinct from those that are consistent with one's sexual orientation (orientation consistent, 'OC')? To address this question, we employed a mindful attention intervention-aimed at reducing judgment and enhancing somatosensory attention-to examine the underlying attentional and neurobiological processes of OC and OI sexual stimuli among predominantly heterosexual women. Women exhibited greater neural activity in response to OC, compared to OI, sexual stimuli in regions associated with implicit visual processing, volitional appraisal and attention. In contrast, women exhibited greater neural activity to OI, relative to OC, sexual stimuli in regions associated with complex visual processing and attentional shifting. Mindfully attending to OC sexual stimuli reduced distraction, amplified women's evaluations of OC stimuli as sexually arousing and deactivated the superior cerebellum. In contrast, mindfully attending to OI sexual stimuli amplified distraction, decreased women's evaluations of OI stimuli as sexually arousing and augmented parietal and temporo-occipital activity. Results of the current study constrain hypotheses of female erotic flexibility, suggesting that sexual orientation may be maintained by differences in attentional processing that cannot be voluntarily altered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna A Dickenson
- Human Sexuality, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Lisa Diamond
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jace B King
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.,Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | - Kay Jenson
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Anderson
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.,Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
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15
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Chou Y, Chen TY. Disruption on right temporoparietal junction with transcranial magnetic stimulation affects moral judgment: No difference between first- and third-personal narration with TMS. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107858. [PMID: 33857530 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Brain imaging studies have observed that the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) was involved in the information processing of moral judgments and in the understanding of the beliefs/intentions of other people. However, most of these studies used moral stories in the third-person point of view. This study aimed to investigate to what extent the disruption of rTPJ affected moral judgments with stories in first-person narration by non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The study hypothesized that, first, TMS would disrupt moral judgment, causing one to neglect the beliefs of perpetrators and to make judgments based on eventual harmful outcomes. Thus, the experimental group would be more tolerant towards "intentional harm" and more prohibitive towards "accidental harm" in comparison to sham. Secondly, TMS might disrupt the mechanism to change perspectives - TMS would influence the moral judgment of the stories narrated in third person (perspective of others), but not those narrated in first person (perspective of oneself). The results demonstrated that (1) TMS accelerated moral judgment (Experiment 1), which might be due to the practice effect from the order of TMS application (Experiment 2); (2) TMS affected moral judgment in several conditions. Participants adopted a more prohibitive attitude towards conditions of "intentional harm", as well as "accidental harm" with TMS disruption; (3) The effect of personal perspective was marginally significant, revealing a tendency "to be stringent with oneself and tolerant towards others". However, the interaction between personal perspectives and TMS was insignificant. No difference between the first- and third-person perspectives was found with TMS disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuju Chou
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan.
| | - Tzu-Yu Chen
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
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16
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Abstract
Homicide is a significant societal problem with economic costs in the billions of dollars annually and incalculable emotional impact on victims and society. Despite this high burden, we know very little about the neuroscience of individuals who commit homicide. Here we examine brain gray matter differences in incarcerated adult males who have committed homicide (n = 203) compared to other non-homicide offenders (n = 605; total n = 808). Homicide offenders' show reduced gray matter in brain areas critical for behavioral control and social cognition compared with subsets of other violent and non-violent offenders. This demonstrates, for the first time, that unique brain abnormalities may distinguish offenders who kill from other serious violent offenders and non-violent antisocial individuals.
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17
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Hiraishi H, Ikeda T, Saito DN, Hasegawa C, Kitagawa S, Takahashi T, Kikuchi M, Ouchi Y. Regional and Temporal Differences in Brain Activity With Morally Good or Bad Judgments in Men: A Magnetoencephalography Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:596711. [PMID: 33911998 PMCID: PMC8072487 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.596711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neuroimaging studies on morality focus on functional brain areas that relate to moral judgment specifically in morally negative situations. To date, there have been few studies on differences in brain activity under conditions of being morally good and bad along a continuum. To explore not only the brain regions involved but also their functional connections during moral judgments, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG), which is superior to other imaging modalities for analyzing time-dependent brain activities; only men were recruited because sex differences might be a confounding factor. While analyses showed that general patterns of brain activation and connectivity were similar between morally good judgments (MGJs) and morally bad judgments (MBJs), activation in brain areas that subserve emotion and “theory of mind” on the right hemisphere was larger in MGJ than MBJ conditions. In the left local temporal region, the connectivity between brain areas related to emotion and reward/punishment was stronger in MBJ than MGJ conditions. The time-frequency analysis showed distinct laterality (left hemisphere dominant) occurring during early moral information processing in MBJ conditions compared to MGJ conditions and phase-dependent differences in the appearance of theta waves between MBJ and MGJ conditions. During MBJs, connections within the hemispheric regions were more robust than those between hemispheric regions. These results suggested that the local temporal region on the left hemisphere is more important in the execution of MBJs during early moral valence processing than in that with MGJs. Shorter neuronal connections within the hemisphere may allow to make MBJs punctual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotoshi Hiraishi
- Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Takashi Ikeda
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Daisuke N Saito
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Department of Psychology, Yasuda Women's University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Chiaki Hasegawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Sachiko Kitagawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Takahashi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Kikuchi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Yasuomi Ouchi
- Department of Biofunctional Imaging, Preeminent Medical Photonics Education and Research Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan
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18
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Busatto G, Rosa PG, Serpa MH, Squarzoni P, Duran FL. Psychiatric neuroimaging research in Brazil: historical overview, current challenges, and future opportunities. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PSIQUIATRIA (SAO PAULO, BRAZIL : 1999) 2021; 43:83-101. [PMID: 32520165 PMCID: PMC7861184 DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2019-0757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The last four decades have witnessed tremendous growth in research studies applying neuroimaging methods to evaluate pathophysiological and treatment aspects of psychiatric disorders around the world. This article provides a brief history of psychiatric neuroimaging research in Brazil, including quantitative information about the growth of this field in the country over the past 20 years. Also described are the various methodologies used, the wealth of scientific questions investigated, and the strength of international collaborations established. Finally, examples of the many methodological advances that have emerged in the field of in vivo neuroimaging are provided, with discussion of the challenges faced by psychiatric research groups in Brazil, a country of limited resources, to continue incorporating such innovations to generate novel scientific data of local and global relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldo Busatto
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM 21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro G. Rosa
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM 21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Mauricio H. Serpa
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM 21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Paula Squarzoni
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM 21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Fabio L. Duran
- Laboratório de Neuroimagem em Psiquiatria (LIM 21), Departamento e Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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19
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Balconi M, Fronda G. Morality and management: an oxymoron? fNIRS and neuromanagement perspective explain us why things are not like this. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:1336-1348. [PMID: 33123863 PMCID: PMC7716886 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00841-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The neuroscience interest for moral decision-making has recently increased. To investigate the processes underlying moral behavior, this research aimed to investigate neurophysiological and behavioral correlates of decision-making in moral contexts. Specifically, functional Near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allowed to record oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenated (HHb) cerebral hemoglobin concentrations during different moral conditions (professional fit, company fit, social fit) and offers types (fair, unfair, neutral). Moreover, individuals' responses to offers types and reaction time (RTs) were considered. Specifically, from hemodynamic results emerged a difference in O2Hb and HHb activity according to moral conditions and offers types in different brain regions. In particular, O2Hb increase and a HHb decrease were observed in ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (VMPFC, DLPFC) for fair offers in professional fit condition and in superior temporal sulcus (STS) for unfair offers in social fit condition. Moreover, an increase of left O2Hb activity in professional fit condition and in right VMPFC for unfair offers in company fit condition was observed. In addition, from behavioral results, an RTs increase in company and social fit condition for fair and unfair offers emerged. This study, therefore, shows the behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of moral decision-making that guide moral behavior in different context, such as company one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Balconi
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Fronda
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
- Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
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20
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Mazza M, Attanasio M, Pino MC, Masedu F, Tiberti S, Sarlo M, Valenti M. Moral Decision-Making, Stress, and Social Cognition in Frontline Workers vs. Population Groups During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Explorative Study. Front Psychol 2020; 11:588159. [PMID: 33329249 PMCID: PMC7710972 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
On March 9, 2020, Italy has gone into "lockdown" because of COVID-19 pandemic, with a national quarantine. All non-essential working activities and schools of all levels have been temporarily closed: consequently, the entire population have been forced to dramatically change their daily habits. The pandemic raised important psychological, moral, social, and economic issues. Our research focused on the moral decision-making of people during an emergency. This paper reports two studies. The aim of Study 1 was to evaluate moral decision-making, level of perceived stress, ability of mentalizing and empathy in university students and Italian workers. 224 front-line workers (FLW), 413 second-line workers (SLW), and 663 university students (US), during Italian Phase 1 of lockdown, completed an online questionnaire. The results of Study 1 showed that participants in the FLW group are more likely to choose utilitarian solutions and judge as morally acceptable actions finalized to saving lives of more people if this requires sacrificing a low number of individuals. At the same time, decision-making was experienced as less unpleasant and less arousing with respect to the other two groups, demonstrating a greater ability to keep emotional control under pressure. In Study 2, we compared the same variables used in Study 1, selecting two professional categories from the FLW group engaged in emergency during COVID-19, namely healthcare providers (n = 82) and public safety personnel (n = 117). Our results showed that healthcare providers were more stressed and emotionally involved than public safety personnel, with higher empathic concern and arousal in moral decision-making. We suggest it is essential providing immediate psychological support and monitoring physical and emotional well-being for workers in the front-line during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to prevent experiences of moral distress or mental health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Mazza
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
- Regional Centre for Autism, Abruzzo Region Health System, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Margherita Attanasio
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
- Regional Centre for Autism, Abruzzo Region Health System, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Pino
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
- Regional Centre for Autism, Abruzzo Region Health System, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Francesco Masedu
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Sergio Tiberti
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Michela Sarlo
- Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Marco Valenti
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
- Regional Centre for Autism, Abruzzo Region Health System, L’Aquila, Italy
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21
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Wen X, Xie J, Cant JS, Xiang Y, Fang X, Lin J, Huang R, Mo L. The neural correlates of moral comparison. Neuropsychologia 2020; 149:107662. [PMID: 33129888 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Moral comparison supports the moral judgment that then evaluates social behaviors and restrains social interactions. However, previous studies have not investigated what neural networks support the process of moral comparison. The present study examined neural networks of moral and physical size comparisons using a distance paradigm and functional magnetic resonance imaging. In the experiment, participants judged which picture/sentence presented a more moral scenario in the moral comparison run or which picture/sentence had a larger physical size in the physical comparison run. Results demonstrated that both moral and physical comparisons induced a distance effect-participants' responses were faster for high than low distance comparisons. Moreover, moral and physical comparisons recruited similar neural networks, including the bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, bilateral intraparietal sulcus, and bilateral insula. Interestingly, compared with physical size comparisons, moral comparisons elicited stronger activity in the bilateral precuneus, bilateral angular gyrus, and bilateral superior frontal gyrus. Meanwhile, compared with moral comparisons, physical size comparisons elicited stronger activity in the right inferior parietal lobule. Together, these results suggest that the neural substrates of moral and physical comparisons not only share the frontoparietal network but also rely on specific neural underpinnings, depending on the specific comparison recruited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Wen
- School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Jiushu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510631, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210097, China
| | - Jonathan S Cant
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Yanhui Xiang
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan and Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410006, China
| | - Xu Fang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510631, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Jiabao Lin
- School of Economics and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Ruiwang Huang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510631, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Lei Mo
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510631, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
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22
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Xiang Y, Wen X, Zhao J, Zhang W, Jiang Y. Cognitive Process Differences Between Moral Beauty Judgments and Moral Goodness Judgments. Adv Cogn Psychol 2020; 16:160-168. [PMID: 32685060 PMCID: PMC7358606 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0293-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Goodness and beauty have always been important topics of debate in the field of philosophy and aesthetics. The present study used behavior and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate whether moral beauty judgments and moral goodness judgments involve different cognitive processes or the same cognitive process under different language labels for the same human act. Behavioral results showed that individuals gave significantly higher scores for a beautiful face than an ugly face when making moral beauty judgments, but there were no significant differences between the two conditions when making moral goodness judgments. The ERP experiment displayed larger P2 amplitudes and the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude was elicited when displaying beautiful faces but not ugly faces during moral beauty judgments. However, during moral goodness judgments, the P2 and LPP showed no significant differences under the two conditions. In general, we conclude that moral beauty judgments and moral goodness judgments involve different cognitive processes, although they objectively refer to the same human act. One of the most important differences between moral beauty judgments and moral goodness judgments was that the former process involved an image, whereas the latter did not. The present conclusion provides important insights into the research in aesthetic perception and moral sense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Xiang
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan, Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Xue Wen
- School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Hainan, China
| | - Jiaxu Zhao
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan, Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Wenrui Zhang
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan, Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yiqi Jiang
- School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Hainan, China
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23
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Simmank F, Avram M, Fehse K, Sander T, Zaytseva Y, Paolini M, Bao Y, Silveira S. Morality in advertising: An fMRI study on persuasion in communication. Psych J 2020; 9:629-643. [PMID: 32515144 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Advertising slogans serve the function of persuasive communication by presenting catchy phrases. To decide whether a slogan is convincing or not, cognitive reasoning is assumed to be complemented by a more implicit and intuitive route of information processing, presumably similar to evaluating normative judgments in moral statements. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while Western male subjects judged advertising slogans and moral statements as another decision task with subjective nature. Compared to a neutral control condition that targeted declarative memory and to an aesthetic-related condition, the evaluation processes in both domains engaged the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is associated with decision-making incorporating personal value. Conjoint activations were also observed in the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) when compared to the aesthetics condition. Results are discussed with reference to domain-independence, a suspected difference to aesthetic-like appreciations, and functional organization in the mPFC and the TPJ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Simmank
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Mihai Avram
- Department of Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.,TUM-NIC Neuroimaging Center, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kai Fehse
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Yuliya Zaytseva
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic.,Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Marco Paolini
- Department of Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Yan Bao
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Sarita Silveira
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
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Abstract
Over the past 150 years, the frontal lobes (FLs) have been implicated in the neural mediation of both normal and abnormal moral conduct and social behavior (MCSB). Despite the remarkable advances that have permeated this period up to the present, a comprehensive account of the neural underpinnings of MCSB has stubbornly defied the best minds of psychology, psychiatry, and neurology. The goal of this chapter is to review a few practical and conceptual achievements that have proved heuristically valuable as an impetus for further advance of knowledge. In virtually all cases in which MCSB was compromised by brain damage, the injuries were located (i) in the prefrontal cortices, (ii) in their connections with the temporal poles and anterior insula, or (iii) in related subcortical structures and pathways, such as the thalamic dorsomedial nucleus or the anterior thalamic radiation. The clinicoanatomic associations among these structures originated the "frontal network systems" concept, which satisfactorily explains the occurrence of classical FL syndromes in patients with lesions outside the prefrontal cortices. Overall, clinicoanatomic observational studies and experimental evidence from patients with acquired sociopathy/psychopathy indicate that abnormalities of MCSB are the final common pathway of single or mixed impairments of subordinate psychologic and neural domains that support MCSB. Independent studies on normal volunteers concur with this view, indicating that MCSB is shaped by the dynamic interplay of subordinate psychologic domains, such as moral sensitivity and judgment, and their neural correlates.
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25
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Prounis GS, Ophir AG. One cranium, two brains not yet introduced: Distinct but complementary views of the social brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:231-245. [PMID: 31743724 PMCID: PMC6949399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Social behavior is pervasive across the animal kingdom, and elucidating how the brain enables animals to respond to social contexts is of great interest and profound importance. Our understanding of 'the social brain' has been fractured as it has matured. Two drastically different conceptualizations of the social brain have emerged with relatively little awareness of each other. In this review, we briefly recount the history behind the two dominant definitions of a social brain. The divide that has emerged between these visions can, in part, be attributed to differential attention to cortical or sub-cortical regions in the brain, and differences in methodology, comparative perspectives, and emphasis on functional specificity or generality. We discuss how these factors contribute to a lack of communication between research efforts, and propose ways in which each version of the social brain can benefit from the perspectives, tools, and approaches of the other. Interface between the two characterizations of social brain networks is sure to provide essential insight into what the social brain encompasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- George S Prounis
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Alexander G Ophir
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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26
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Translation and validation of the Moral Foundations Vignettes (MFVs) for the Portuguese language in a Brazilian sample. JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING 2020. [DOI: 10.1017/s1930297500006963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe Moral Foundations Vignettes (MFVs) – a recently developed set of brief scenarios depicting violations of various moral foundations – enables investigators to directly examine differences in moral judgments about different topics. In the present study, we adapt the MFV instrument for use in the Portuguese language. To this end, the following steps were performed: 1) Translation of the MFV instrument from English to Portuguese language in Brazil; 2) Synthesis of translated versions; 3) Evaluation of the synthesis by expert judges; 4) Evaluation of the MFV instrument by university students from Sao Paulo City; 5) Back translation; and lastly, 6) Validation study, which used a sample of 494 (385f) university students from Sao Paulo city and a set of 68 vignettes, subdivided into seven factors. Exploratory analyses show that the relationships between the moral foundations and political ideology are similar to those found in previous studies, but the severity of moral judgment on individualizing foundations tended to be significantly higher in the Sao Paulo sample, compared to a sample from the USA. Overall, the present study provides a Portuguese version of the MFV that performs similarly to the original English version, enabling a broader examination of how the moral foundations operate.
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Eken A, Çolak B, Bal NB, Kuşman A, Kızılpınar SÇ, Akaslan DS, Baskak B. Hyperparameter-tuned prediction of somatic symptom disorder using functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based dynamic functional connectivity. J Neural Eng 2019; 17:016012. [DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ab50b2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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28
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Chen C, Martínez RM, Chen Y, Cheng Y. Pointing fingers at others: The neural correlates of actor-observer asymmetry in blame attribution. Neuropsychologia 2019; 136:107281. [PMID: 31770551 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
People tend to describe others' immoral behaviors as intentional and dispositional, and their own as unintentional events. The actor-observer asymmetry might reflect at least true attitudes potentially free from intentional faking. Implicit attitudes - i.e., automatic evaluation of the rightness or wrongness of actions - play a central role in guiding moral decision-making. Yet, little research has investigated how value computations are associated with actor-observer asymmetry of moral decision-making. In this fMRI study, we developed the morally-laden implicit association test (mIAT) to examine the extent to which implicit attitudes are predictive of online neural response when participants mentally simulate or passively observe morally-laden behaviors such as helping or harming others. Results showed that the scores on the mIAT were predictive of actor-observer asymmetry when attributing blame for immoral behavior, associated with neural responses in the orbitofrontal cortex and temporal pole. The asymmetry between first-hand experiencing and passive viewing moral behavior recruited the activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right temporoparietal junction. These findings indicate that implicit moral attitudes can predict moral evaluation and neural responses to asymmetry between experiencing and observing injustice. They provide important knowledge regarding the individual differences involved in the computational mechanisms underlying how implicit attitudes guide moral decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyi Chen
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Cell Physiology and Molecular Image Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Róger Marcelo Martínez
- Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yijhen Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yawei Cheng
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan; Institute of Neuroscience and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Moll J, de Oliveira-Souza R, Basilio R, Bramati IE, Gordon B, Rodríguez-Nieto G, Zahn R, Krueger F, Grafman J. Altruistic decisions following penetrating traumatic brain injury. Brain 2019; 141:1558-1569. [PMID: 29590314 PMCID: PMC7341482 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebral correlates of altruistic decisions have increasingly attracted the interest of neuroscientists. To date, investigations on the neural underpinnings of altruistic decisions have primarily been conducted in healthy adults undergoing functional neuroimaging as they engaged in decisions to punish third parties. The chief purpose of the present study was to investigate altruistic decisions following focal brain damage with a novel altruistic decision task. In contrast to studies that have focused either on altruistic punishment or donation, the Altruistic Decision Task allows players to anonymously punish or donate to 30 charitable organizations involved with salient societal issues such as abortion, nuclear energy and civil rights. Ninety-four Vietnam War veterans with variable patterns of penetrating traumatic brain injury and 28 healthy veterans who also served in combat participated in the study as normal controls. Participants were asked to invest $1 to punish or reward real societal organizations, or keep the money for themselves. Associations between lesion distribution and performance on the task were analysed with multivariate support vector regression, which enables the assessment of the joint contribution of multiple regions in the determination of a given behaviour of interest. Our main findings were: (i) bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal lesions increased altruistic punishment, whereas lesions of the right perisylvian region and left temporo-insular cortex decreased punishment; (ii) altruistic donations were increased by bilateral lesions of the dorsomedial parietal cortex, whereas lesions of the right posterior superior temporal sulcus and middle temporal gyri decreased donations; (iii) altruistic punishment and donation were only weakly correlated, emphasizing their dissociable neuroanatomical associations; and (iv) altruistic decisions were not related to post-traumatic personality changes. These findings indicate that altruistic punishment and donation are determined by largely non-overlapping cerebral regions, which have previously been implicated in social cognition and moral experience such as evaluations of intentionality and intuitions of justice and morality.10.1093/brain/awy064_video1awy064media15758316955001.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Moll
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,The Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Basilio
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Barry Gordon
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Brain Injury Research Program, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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30
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Teichmann M, Daigmorte C, Funkiewiez A, Sanches C, Camus M, Mauras T, Le Ber I, Dubois B, Levy R, Azuar C. Moral Emotions in Frontotemporal Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 69:887-896. [PMID: 31127763 DOI: 10.3233/jad-180991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emotions, with or without moral valence, appear to be altered in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) but the relative degree of moral emotion breakdown, which could be a marker of bvFTD diagnosis, remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE To assess moral emotions in bvFTD, to differentiate bvFTD from typical Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on moral emotion processing, and to provide a sensitive and specific assessment tool contributing to bvFTD diagnosis. METHODS We investigated moral emotions in 22 bvFTD patients, 15 patients with typical AD having positive CSF AD biomarkers, and 45 healthy controls. The 'Moral Emotions Assessment' task consisted in 42 scenarios exploring positive and negative moral emotions. To control for moral-specificity, we contrasted the 42 moral scenarios with 18 extra-moral scenarios eliciting the emotions without involving any inter-human moral context. RESULTS bvFTD patients were more impaired in emotion processing than AD patients and healthy controls and had significantly poorer performance in the processing of moral emotions than of emotions without moral valence. ROC analyses of data on moral scenarios showed a high area under the curve (83%), and indicated a cut-off score (< 37/42) for differentiating bvFTD from AD with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 73%. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate that bvFTD patients have disorders in emotion processing which is mainly related to failure regarding moral emotions. They also show that this deficit is reliably detected by the 'Moral Emotions Assessment' which represents a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool detecting bvFTD and differentiating it from AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Teichmann
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'FTD', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Chloé Daigmorte
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Funkiewiez
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'FTD', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Clara Sanches
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France
| | - Maeva Camus
- Unité de Neuro-Psychiatrie Comportementale (IHU), Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Mauras
- Unité de Neuro-Psychiatrie Comportementale (IHU), Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Service de Psychiatrie, Hôpital Sainte-Anne, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Le Ber
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'FTD', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dubois
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'FTD', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Richard Levy
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'FTD', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Carole Azuar
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'FTD', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Unité de Neuro-Psychiatrie Comportementale (IHU), Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
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31
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Anderson NE, Harenski KA, Harenski CL, Koenigs MR, Decety J, Calhoun VD, Kiehl KA. Machine learning of brain gray matter differentiates sex in a large forensic sample. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:1496-1506. [PMID: 30430711 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences between males and females have been extensively documented in biological, psychological, and behavioral domains. Among these, sex differences in the rate and typology of antisocial behavior remains one of the most conspicuous and enduring patterns among humans. However, the nature and extent of sexual dimorphism in the brain among antisocial populations remains mostly unexplored. Here, we seek to understand sex differences in brain structure between incarcerated males and females in a large sample (n = 1,300) using machine learning. We apply source-based morphometry, a contemporary multivariate approach for quantifying gray matter measured with magnetic resonance imaging, and carry these parcellations forward using machine learning to classify sex. Models using components of brain gray matter volume and concentration were able to differentiate between males and females with greater than 93% generalizable accuracy. Highly differentiated components include orbitofrontal and frontopolar regions, proportionally larger in females, and anterior medial temporal regions proportionally larger in males. We also provide a complimentary analysis of a nonforensic healthy control sample and replicate our 93% sex discrimination. These findings demonstrate that the brains of males and females are highly distinguishable. Understanding sex differences in the brain has implications for elucidating variability in the incidence and progression of disease, psychopathology, and differences in psychological traits and behavior. The reliability of these differences confirms the importance of sex as a moderator of individual differences in brain structure and suggests future research should consider sex specific models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel E Anderson
- The Mind Research Network & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Keith A Harenski
- The Mind Research Network & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Carla L Harenski
- The Mind Research Network & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | | | | | - Vince D Calhoun
- The Mind Research Network & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico.,University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Kent A Kiehl
- The Mind Research Network & Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico.,University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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32
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33
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Kiehl KA, Anderson NE, Aharoni E, Maurer JM, Harenski KA, Rao V, Claus ED, Harenski C, Koenigs M, Decety J, Kosson D, Wager TD, Calhoun VD, Steele VR. Age of gray matters: Neuroprediction of recidivism. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 19:813-823. [PMID: 30013925 PMCID: PMC6024200 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Age is one of the best predictors of antisocial behavior. Risk models of recidivism often combine chronological age with demographic, social and psychological features to aid in judicial decision-making. Here we use independent component analyses (ICA) and machine learning techniques to demonstrate the utility of using brain-based measures of cerebral aging to predict recidivism. First, we developed a brain-age model that predicts chronological age based on structural MRI data from incarcerated males (n = 1332). We then test the model's ability to predict recidivism in a new sample of offenders with longitudinal outcome data (n = 93). Consistent with hypotheses, inclusion of brain-age measures of the inferior frontal cortex and anterior-medial temporal lobes (i.e., amygdala) improved prediction models when compared with models using chronological age; and models that combined psychological, behavioral, and neuroimaging measures provided the most robust prediction of recidivism. These results verify the utility of brain measures in predicting future behavior, and suggest that brain-based data may more precisely account for important variation when compared with traditional proxy measures such as chronological age. This work also identifies new brain systems that contribute to recidivism which has clinical implications for treatment development. A brain-age model is developed on a large sample of MRI data collected from incarcerated males (n = 1332). The model is tested in a new sample to predict recidivism using brain vs. chronological age. Brain-age measures outperformed chronological age in prediction of recidivism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kent A Kiehl
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; University of New Mexico School of Law, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | - Nathaniel E Anderson
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Eyal Aharoni
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - J Michael Maurer
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Keith A Harenski
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Vikram Rao
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Eric D Claus
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Carla Harenski
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Mike Koenigs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David Kosson
- Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Vince D Calhoun
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Vaughn R Steele
- The nonprofit Mind Research Network (MRN) & Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Sevinc G, Gurvit H, Spreng RN. Salience network engagement with the detection of morally laden information. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:1118-1127. [PMID: 28338944 PMCID: PMC5490682 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Moral cognition is associated with activation of the default network, regions implicated in mentalizing about one’s own actions or the intentions of others. Yet little is known about the initial detection of moral information. We examined the neural correlates of moral processing during a narrative completion task, which included an implicit moral salience manipulation. During fMRI scanning, participants read a brief vignette and selected the most semantically congruent sentence from two options to complete the narrative. The options were immoral, moral or neutral statements. RT was fastest for the selection of neutral statements and slowest for immoral statements. Neuroimaging analyses revealed that responses involving morally laden content engaged default and executive control network brain regions including medial and rostral prefrontal cortex, and core regions of the salience network, including anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate. Immoral vs moral conditions additionally engaged the salience network. These results implicate the salience network in the detection of moral information, which may modulate downstream default and frontal control network interactions in the service of complex moral reasoning and decision-making processes. These findings suggest that moral cognition involves both bottom-up and top-down attentional processes, mediated by discrete large-scale brain networks and their interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunes Sevinc
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Department of Human Development, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Neurosciences, Institute for Medical Research
| | - Hakan Gurvit
- Department of Neurosciences, Institute for Medical Research.,Department of Neurology, Behavioral and Movement Disorders Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Department of Human Development, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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35
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Ramachandran VS, Sellers CA. Interpersonal gargalesthesia. Neurocase 2018; 24:98-104. [PMID: 29693492 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2018.1464583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
When someone touches, say, your upper arm, mirror neurons in your brain's area S2 fire. These neurons also fire when you merely watch another person being touched. However, you do not literally feel the touch from his arm on your own skin. Consistent with this view, we find when someone's arm is removed, he does start experiencing another's sensations [Ramachandran, V. S., & Brang, D. (2009)]. A congenital variant of this syndrome also exists, as in our subject TC. TC experienced referred touch, referred tickle in her axilla, and was able to tickle herself.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Alyse Sellers
- b Department of Psychology , University of California , San Diego , La Jolla, CA , USA
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36
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Task-dependent evaluative processing of moral and emotional content during comprehension: An ERP study. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:389-409. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0577-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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37
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Kaplan JT, Gimbel SI, Dehghani M, Immordino-Yang MH, Sagae K, Wong JD, Tipper CM, Damasio H, Gordon AS, Damasio A. Processing Narratives Concerning Protected Values: A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Neural Correlates. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:1428-1438. [PMID: 26744541 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Narratives are an important component of culture and play a central role in transmitting social values. Little is known, however, about how the brain of a listener/reader processes narratives. A receiver's response to narration is influenced by the narrator's framing and appeal to values. Narratives that appeal to "protected values," including core personal, national, or religious values, may be particularly effective at influencing receivers. Protected values resist compromise and are tied with identity, affective value, moral decision-making, and other aspects of social cognition. Here, we investigated the neural mechanisms underlying reactions to protected values in narratives. During fMRI scanning, we presented 78 American, Chinese, and Iranian participants with real-life stories distilled from a corpus of over 20 million weblogs. Reading these stories engaged the posterior medial, medial prefrontal, and temporo-parietal cortices. When participants believed that the protagonist was appealing to a protected value, signal in these regions was increased compared with when no protected value was perceived, possibly reflecting the intensive and iterative search required to process this material. The effect strength also varied across groups, potentially reflecting cultural differences in the degree of concern for protected values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas T Kaplan
- Brain and Creativity Institute.,Department of Psychology
| | | | - Morteza Dehghani
- Brain and Creativity Institute.,Department of Psychology.,Department of Computer Science
| | - Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
- Brain and Creativity Institute.,Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kenji Sagae
- Department of Computer Science.,Institute for Creative Technologies
| | | | | | - Hanna Damasio
- Brain and Creativity Institute.,Department of Psychology
| | - Andrew S Gordon
- Department of Computer Science.,Institute for Creative Technologies
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38
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White SF, Zhao H, Leong KK, Smetana JG, Nucci LP, Blair RJR. Neural correlates of conventional and harm/welfare-based moral decision-making. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2017; 17:1114-1128. [PMID: 28952137 PMCID: PMC5711614 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-017-0536-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The degree to which social norms are processed by a unitary system or dissociable systems remains debated. Much research on children's social-cognitive judgments has supported the distinction between "moral" (harm/welfare-based) and "conventional" norms. However, the extent to which these norms are processed by dissociable neural systems remains unclear. To address this issue, 23 healthy participants were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they rated the wrongness of harm/welfare-based and conventional transgressions and neutral vignettes. Activation significantly greater than the neutral vignette baseline was observed in regions implicated in decision-making regions including rostral/ventral medial frontal, anterior insula and dorsomedial frontal cortices when evaluating both harm/welfare-based and social-conventional transgressions. Greater activation when rating harm/welfare-based relative to social-conventional transgressions was seen through much of ACC and bilateral inferior frontal gyrus. Greater activation was observed in superior temporal gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, left PCC, and temporal-parietal junction when rating social-conventional transgressions relative to harm/welfare-based transgressions. These data suggest that decisions regarding the wrongness of actions, irrespective of whether they involve care/harm-based or conventional transgressions, recruit regions generally implicated in affect-based decision-making. However, there is neural differentiation between harm/welfare-based and conventional transgressions. This may reflect the particular importance of processing the intent of transgressors of conventional norms and perhaps the greater emotional content or salience of harm/welfare-based transgressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart F White
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA.
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, China
| | - Kelly Kimiko Leong
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Larry P Nucci
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - R James R Blair
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
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39
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Zinchenko O, Arsalidou M. Brain responses to social norms: Meta-analyses of fMRI studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:955-970. [PMID: 29160930 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social norms have a critical role in everyday decision-making, as frequent interaction with others regulates our behavior. Neuroimaging studies show that social-based and fairness-related decision-making activates an inconsistent set of areas, which sometimes includes the anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and others lateral prefrontal cortices. Social-based decision-making is complex and variability in findings may be driven by socio-cognitive activities related to social norms. To distinguish among social-cognitive activities related to social norms, we identified 36 eligible articles in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature, which we separate into two categories (a) social norm representation and (b) norm violations. The majority of original articles (>60%) used tasks associated with fairness norms and decision-making, such as ultimatum game, dictator game, or prisoner's dilemma; the rest used tasks associated to violation of moral norms, such as scenarios and sentences of moral depravity ratings. Using quantitative meta-analyses, we report common and distinct brain areas that show concordance as a function of category. Specifically, concordance in ventromedial prefrontal regions is distinct to social norm representation processing, whereas concordance in right insula, dorsolateral prefrontal, and dorsal cingulate cortices is distinct to norm violation processing. We propose a neurocognitive model of social norms for healthy adults, which could help guide future research in social norm compliance and mechanisms of its enforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Zinchenko
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Marie Arsalidou
- Department of Psychology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Canada
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40
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Blair RJR. Emotion-based learning systems and the development of morality. Cognition 2017; 167:38-45. [PMID: 28395907 PMCID: PMC5572654 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In this paper it is proposed that important components of moral development and moral judgment rely on two forms of emotional learning: stimulus-reinforcement and response-outcome learning. Data in support of this position will be primarily drawn from work with individuals with the developmental condition of psychopathy as well as fMRI studies with healthy individuals. Individuals with psychopathy show impairment on moral judgment tasks and a pronounced increased risk for instrumental antisocial behavior. It will be argued that these impairments are developmental consequences of impaired stimulus-aversive conditioning on the basis of distress cue reinforcers and response-outcome learning in individuals with this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J R Blair
- Section on Affective Cognitive Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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41
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Abstract
Emotion has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans, including perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. Emotion has a particularly strong influence on attention, especially modulating the selectivity of attention as well as motivating action and behavior. This attentional and executive control is intimately linked to learning processes, as intrinsically limited attentional capacities are better focused on relevant information. Emotion also facilitates encoding and helps retrieval of information efficiently. However, the effects of emotion on learning and memory are not always univalent, as studies have reported that emotion either enhances or impairs learning and long-term memory (LTM) retention, depending on a range of factors. Recent neuroimaging findings have indicated that the amygdala and prefrontal cortex cooperate with the medial temporal lobe in an integrated manner that affords (i) the amygdala modulating memory consolidation; (ii) the prefrontal cortex mediating memory encoding and formation; and (iii) the hippocampus for successful learning and LTM retention. We also review the nested hierarchies of circular emotional control and cognitive regulation (bottom-up and top-down influences) within the brain to achieve optimal integration of emotional and cognitive processing. This review highlights a basic evolutionary approach to emotion to understand the effects of emotion on learning and memory and the functional roles played by various brain regions and their mutual interactions in relation to emotional processing. We also summarize the current state of knowledge on the impact of emotion on memory and map implications for educational settings. In addition to elucidating the memory-enhancing effects of emotion, neuroimaging findings extend our understanding of emotional influences on learning and memory processes; this knowledge may be useful for the design of effective educational curricula to provide a conducive learning environment for both traditional "live" learning in classrooms and "virtual" learning through online-based educational technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chai M Tyng
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PetronasSeri Iskandar, Malaysia
| | - Hafeez U Amin
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PetronasSeri Iskandar, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad N M Saad
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PetronasSeri Iskandar, Malaysia
| | - Aamir S Malik
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PetronasSeri Iskandar, Malaysia
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42
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Pokorny T, Preller KH, Kometer M, Dziobek I, Vollenweider FX. Effect of Psilocybin on Empathy and Moral Decision-Making. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 20:747-757. [PMID: 28637246 PMCID: PMC5581487 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Impaired empathic abilities lead to severe negative social consequences and influence the development and treatment of several psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, empathy has been shown to play a crucial role in moral and prosocial behavior. Although the serotonin system has been implicated in modulating empathy and moral behavior, the relative contribution of the various serotonin receptor subtypes is still unknown. Methods We investigated the acute effect of psilocybin (0.215 mg/kg p.o.) in healthy human subjects on different facets of empathy and hypothetical moral decision-making using the multifaceted empathy test (n=32) and the moral dilemma task (n=24). Results Psilocybin significantly increased emotional, but not cognitive empathy compared with placebo, and the increase in implicit emotional empathy was significantly associated with psilocybin-induced changed meaning of percepts. In contrast, moral decision-making remained unaffected by psilocybin. Conclusions These findings provide first evidence that psilocybin has distinct effects on social cognition by enhancing emotional empathy but not moral behavior. Furthermore, together with previous findings, psilocybin appears to promote emotional empathy presumably via activation of serotonin 2A/1A receptors, suggesting that targeting serotonin 2A/1A receptors has implications for potential treatment of dysfunctional social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pokorny
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Michael Kometer
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Heffter Research Center Zurich, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland (Mr Pokorny, and Drs Preller, Kometer, and Vollenweider); Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (Dr Dziobek)
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43
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Association of monoamine oxidase-A genetic variants and amygdala morphology in violent offenders with antisocial personality disorder and high psychopathic traits. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9607. [PMID: 28851912 PMCID: PMC5575239 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08351-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Violent offending is elevated among individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and high psychopathic traits (PP). Morphological abnormalities of the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are present in violent offenders, which may relate to the violence enacted by ASPD + PP. Among healthy males, monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) genetic variants linked to low in vitro transcription (MAOA-L) are associated with structural abnormalities of the amygdala and OFC. However, it is currently unknown whether amygdala and OFC morphology in ASPD relate to MAO-A genetic polymorphisms. We studied 18 ASPD males with a history of violent offending and 20 healthy male controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes to determine MAO-A genetic polymorphisms. Subjects underwent a T1-weighted MRI anatomical brain scan that provided vertex-wise measures of amygdala shape and surface area and OFC cortical thickness. We found that ASPD + PP subjects with MAOA-L exhibited decreased surface area in the right basolateral amygdala nucleus and increased surface area in the right anterior cortical amygdaloid nucleus versus healthy MAOA-L carriers. This study is the first to describe genotype-related morphological differences of the amygdala in a population marked by high aggression. Deficits in emotional regulation that contribute to the violence of ASPD + PP may relate to morphological changes of the amygdala under genetic control.
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44
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Tyng CM, Amin HU, Saad MNM, Malik AS. The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1454. [PMID: 28883804 PMCID: PMC5573739 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 338] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotion has a substantial influence on the cognitive processes in humans, including perception, attention, learning, memory, reasoning, and problem solving. Emotion has a particularly strong influence on attention, especially modulating the selectivity of attention as well as motivating action and behavior. This attentional and executive control is intimately linked to learning processes, as intrinsically limited attentional capacities are better focused on relevant information. Emotion also facilitates encoding and helps retrieval of information efficiently. However, the effects of emotion on learning and memory are not always univalent, as studies have reported that emotion either enhances or impairs learning and long-term memory (LTM) retention, depending on a range of factors. Recent neuroimaging findings have indicated that the amygdala and prefrontal cortex cooperate with the medial temporal lobe in an integrated manner that affords (i) the amygdala modulating memory consolidation; (ii) the prefrontal cortex mediating memory encoding and formation; and (iii) the hippocampus for successful learning and LTM retention. We also review the nested hierarchies of circular emotional control and cognitive regulation (bottom-up and top-down influences) within the brain to achieve optimal integration of emotional and cognitive processing. This review highlights a basic evolutionary approach to emotion to understand the effects of emotion on learning and memory and the functional roles played by various brain regions and their mutual interactions in relation to emotional processing. We also summarize the current state of knowledge on the impact of emotion on memory and map implications for educational settings. In addition to elucidating the memory-enhancing effects of emotion, neuroimaging findings extend our understanding of emotional influences on learning and memory processes; this knowledge may be useful for the design of effective educational curricula to provide a conducive learning environment for both traditional "live" learning in classrooms and "virtual" learning through online-based educational technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Aamir S. Malik
- Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR), Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PetronasSeri Iskandar, Malaysia
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45
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Moreira PS, Marques P, Soriano-Mas C, Magalhães R, Sousa N, Soares JM, Morgado P. The neural correlates of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a multimodal perspective. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1224. [PMID: 28850108 PMCID: PMC5611752 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most debilitating psychiatric conditions. An extensive body of the literature has described some of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the core manifestations of the disorder. Nevertheless, most reports have focused on individual modalities of structural/functional brain alterations, mainly through targeted approaches, thus possibly precluding the power of unbiased exploratory approaches. Eighty subjects (40 OCD and 40 healthy controls) participated in a multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigation, integrating structural and functional data. Voxel-based morphometry analysis was conducted to compare between-group volumetric differences. The whole-brain functional connectome, derived from resting-state functional connectivity (FC), was analyzed with the network-based statistic methodology. Results from structural and functional analysis were integrated in mediation models. OCD patients revealed volumetric reductions in the right superior temporal sulcus. Patients had significantly decreased FC in two distinct subnetworks: the first, involving the orbitofrontal cortex, temporal poles and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex; the second, comprising the lingual and postcentral gyri. On the opposite, a network formed by connections between thalamic and occipital regions had significantly increased FC in patients. Integrative models revealed direct and indirect associations between volumetric alterations and FC networks. This study suggests that OCD patients display alterations in brain structure and FC, involving complex networks of brain regions. Furthermore, we provided evidence for direct and indirect associations between structural and functional alterations representing complex patterns of interactions between separate brain regions, which may be of upmost relevance for explaining the pathophysiology of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- P S Moreira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - P Marques
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - C Soriano-Mas
- Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and CIBERSAM, Carlos III Health Institute, Barcelona, Spain,Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Magalhães
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - N Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - J M Soares
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - P Morgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal,Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga 4710-057 Portugal. E-mail:
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46
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Eres R, Louis WR, Molenberghs P. Common and distinct neural networks involved in fMRI studies investigating morality: an ALE meta-analysis. Soc Neurosci 2017; 13:384-398. [PMID: 28724332 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2017.1357657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Morality is an important social construct necessary for understanding what is right and wrong. Neuroimaging studies investigating morality have used a wide variety of paradigms and implicated many different brain areas. Yet, it remains unclear whether differences amongst morality tasks are the cause for such heterogeneous findings. Therefore, in the present study, a series of activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were conducted on 123 datasets (inclusive of 1963 participants) to address this question. The ALE meta-analyses revealed a series of common brain areas associated with all moral tasks, including medial prefrontal cortex, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, temporoparietal junction, and precuneus. However, individual and contrast analyses also revealed unique networks associated with each moral modality, suggesting that different moral tasks recruit specialised brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Eres
- a School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia
| | - Winnifred R Louis
- b School of Psychology , The University of Queensland , St Lucia , Australia
| | - Pascal Molenberghs
- a School of Psychological Sciences and Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences , Monash University , Melbourne , Australia
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47
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Abstract
Adhering to standard procedures (impartiality), returning favors (reciprocity) or giving based on individuals' needs (charity) may all be considered moral and/or fair ways to allocate resources. However, these allocation behaviors may be perceived as differently motivated, and their moral evaluation may make different demands on theory of mind (ToM) - the capacity to process information about mental states, including motives. In Studies 1 and 2, we examined participants' moral judgments of allocations based on (1) impartiality, (2) reciprocity, (3) charity and (4) unspecified criteria as depicted in vignettes, as well as participants' perceptions of allocators' motivations. In Study 3, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how brain regions for ToM were recruited during moral evaluation of the same vignettes. Reciprocity and charity were processed similarly, in that they recruited ToM regions to the same extent, i.e., precuneus, dorsal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex and left temporoparietal junction (LTPJ). In turn, impartiality and the unspecified condition were processed similarly, recruiting the same ToM regions to a lesser extent. Nevertheless, reciprocity elicited greater activity relative to impartiality and unspecified in the ToM regions of interest. Overall, evaluations of different allocation behaviors depend differently on ToM, with charity and reciprocity eliciting greater attention to individuals' unique states and motivations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Niemi
- a Department of Psychology , Harvard University , Cambridge , MA , USA
| | - Emily Wasserman
- b Department of Psychology , Boston College , Chestnut Hill , MA , USA
| | - Liane Young
- b Department of Psychology , Boston College , Chestnut Hill , MA , USA
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48
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Goel V, Lam E, Smith KW, Goel A, Raymont V, Krueger F, Grafman J. Lesions to polar/orbital prefrontal cortex selectively impair reasoning about emotional material. Neuropsychologia 2017; 99:236-245. [PMID: 28263798 PMCID: PMC5496820 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
While it is widely accepted that lesions to orbital prefrontal cortex lead to emotion related disruptions and poor decision-making, there is very little patient data on this issue involving actual logical reasoning tasks. We tested patients with circumscribed, focal lesions largely confined to polar/orbital prefrontal cortex (BA 10 & 11) (N=17) on logical reasoning tasks involving neutral and emotional content, and compared their performance to that of an age and education-matched normal control group (N=22) and a posterior lesion control group (N=24). Our results revealed a significant group by content interaction driven by a selective impairment in the polar/orbital prefrontal cortex group compared to healthy normal controls and to the parietal patient group, in the emotional content reasoning trials. Subsequent analyses of congruent and incongruent reasoning trials indicated that this impairment was driven by the poor performance of patients with polar/orbital lesions in the incongruent trials. We conclude that the polar/orbital prefrontal cortex plays a critical role in filtering emotionally charged content from the material before it is passed on to the reasoning system in lateral/dorsal regions of prefrontal cortex. Where unfiltered content is passed to the reasoning engine, either as a result of pathology (as in the case of our patients) or as a result of individual differences, reasoning performance suffers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Goel
- Department of Psychology, York University, Canada; IRCCS Fondazione Ospedale San Camillo, Lido, Venice, Italy
| | - Elaine Lam
- Department of Psychology, York University, Canada
| | | | - Amit Goel
- School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, Canada
| | - Vanessa Raymont
- Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Frank Krueger
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA; Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Northwestern University Medical School, Cognitive Neurology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chicago, IL, USA
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49
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, van Steenbergen H, Kreuk T, van der Wee NJA, Westenberg PM. How embarrassing! The behavioral and neural correlates of processing social norm violations. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176326. [PMID: 28441460 PMCID: PMC5404760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Social norms are important for human social interactions, and violations of these norms are evaluated partly on the intention of the actor. Here, we describe the revised Social Norm Processing Task (SNPT-R), a paradigm enabling the study of behavioral and neural responses to intended and unintended social norm violations among both adults and adolescents. We investigated how participants (adolescents and adults, n = 87) rate intentional and unintentional social norm violations with respect to inappropriateness and embarrassment, and we examined the brain activation patterns underlying the processing of these transgressions in an independent sample of 21 adults using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). We hypothesized to find activation within the medial prefrontal cortex, temporo-parietal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex in response to both intentional and unintentional social norm violations, with more pronounced activation for the intentional social norm violations in these regions and in the amygdala. Participants' ratings confirmed the hypothesis that the three types of stories are evaluated differently with respect to intentionality: intentional social norm violations were rated as the most inappropriate and most embarrassing. Furthermore, fMRI results showed that reading stories on intentional and unintentional social norm violations evoked activation within the frontal pole, the paracingulate gyrus and the superior frontal gyrus. In addition, processing unintentional social norm violations was associated with activation in, among others, the orbitofrontal cortex, middle frontal gyrus and superior parietal lobule, while reading intentional social norm violations was related to activation in the left amygdala. These regions have been previously implicated in thinking about one's self, thinking about others and moral reasoning. Together, these findings indicate that the SNPT-R could serve as a useful paradigm for examining social norm processing, both at the behavioral and the neural level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Tanja Kreuk
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Nic J. A. van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P. Michiel Westenberg
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Chiasson V, Vera-Estay E, Lalonde G, Dooley JJ, Beauchamp MH. Assessing social cognition: age-related changes in moral reasoning in childhood and adolescence. Clin Neuropsychol 2017; 31:515-530. [PMID: 28080301 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2016.1268650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is increasing recognition that socio-cognitive skills, such as moral reasoning (MR), are affected in a wide range of developmental and neuropsychological conditions. However, the lack of appropriate measures available to neuropsychologists poses a challenge for the direct assessment of these skills. This study sought to explore age-related changes in MR using an innovative visual tool and examine the developmental sensitivity of the task. METHOD To address some of the methodological limitations of traditional measures of MR, a novel, visual task, the Socio-Moral Reasoning Aptitude Level (So-Moral), was used to evaluate MR in 216 healthy participants aged 6-20 years. RESULTS The findings show a linear increase in MR from childhood to late adolescence with significant group differences between childhood (6-8 years) and preadolescence (9-11 years), and between early adolescence (12-14 years) and middle adolescence (15-17 years). CONCLUSIONS Interpreted in light of current brain development research, the results highlight age-related changes in MR that offer insight into typical MR development and opportunities for comparisons with clinical populations. The findings also provide evidence of the potential of the So-Moral as a developmentally appropriate measure of MR throughout childhood and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Chiasson
- a Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Canada.,b Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center , Montreal , Canada
| | - E Vera-Estay
- a Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Canada.,b Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center , Montreal , Canada
| | - G Lalonde
- a Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Canada
| | - J J Dooley
- c Cuyahoga County Court Psychiatric Clinic , Cleveland , OH , USA.,d Department of Psychology , Cleveland State University , Cleveland , OH , USA
| | - M H Beauchamp
- a Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Canada.,b Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center , Montreal , Canada
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