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Bacha-Trams M, Yorulmaz GE, Glerean E, Ryyppö E, Tapani K, Virmavirta E, Saaristo J, Jääskeläinen IP, Sams M. Sisterhood predicts similar neural processing of a film. Neuroimage 2024; 297:120712. [PMID: 38945181 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120712] [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: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Relationships between humans are essential for how we see the world. Using fMRI, we explored the neural basis of homophily, a sociological concept that describes the tendency to bond with similar others. Our comparison of brain activity between sisters, friends and acquaintances while they watched a movie, indicate that sisters' brain activity is more similar than that of friends and friends' activity is more similar than that of acquaintances. The increased similarity in brain activity measured as inter-subject correlation (ISC) was found both in higher-order brain areas including the default-mode network (DMN) and sensory areas. Increased ISC could not be explained by genetic relation between sisters neither by similarities in eye-movements, emotional experiences, and physiological activity. Our findings shed light on the neural basis of homophily by revealing that similarity in brain activity in the DMN and sensory areas is the stronger the closer is the relationship between the people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike Bacha-Trams
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland; Institute of Research Methods in Psychology - Media-based Knowledge Construction, Computer Science and Applied Cognitive Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
| | - Gökce Ertas Yorulmaz
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Enrico Glerean
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Elisa Ryyppö
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Karoliina Tapani
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Eero Virmavirta
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jenni Saaristo
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Iiro P Jääskeläinen
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland; Advanced Magnetic Imaging (AMI) Centre, Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
| | - Mikko Sams
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland; Aalto Studios - MAGICS, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
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2
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Rösler IK, Amodio DM. Neural Basis of Prejudice and Prejudice Reduction. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1200-1208. [PMID: 36402739 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Social prejudices, based on race, ethnicity, gender, or other identities, pervade how we perceive, think about, and act toward others. Research on the neural basis of prejudice seeks to illuminate its effects by investigating the neurocognitive processes through which prejudice is formed, represented in the mind, expressed in behavior, and potentially reduced. In this article, we review current knowledge about the social neuroscience of prejudice regarding its influence on rapid social perception, representation in memory, emotional expression and relation to empathy, and regulation, and we discuss implications of this work for prejudice reduction interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga K Rösler
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David M Amodio
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York.
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3
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Ficco L, Müller VI, Kaufmann JM, Schweinberger SR. Socio‐cognitive, expertise‐based and appearance‐based accounts of the other‐‘race’ effect in face perception: A label‐based systematic review of neuroimaging results. Br J Psychol 2022; 114 Suppl 1:45-69. [DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Ficco
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- Department of Linguistics and Cultural Evolution International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
| | - Veronika I. Müller
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine (INM‐7) Research Centre Jülich Jülich Germany
| | - Jürgen M. Kaufmann
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- Department of Linguistics and Cultural Evolution International Max Planck Research School for the Science of Human History Jena Germany
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4
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Jia L, Sung B, Wang J. The role of right insula and its functional connectivity in the regulation of negative implicit stereotypes against rural migrant workers. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:803-817. [PMID: 35165825 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00988-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have revealed that stereotyping processes involving negative affective content (e.g., antipathy) can lead to a significant increase in insula activity. However, whether the insula is sensitive to stereotype inconsistency or plays a crucial role in stereotype regulation remains unclear. To help fill this gap, 21 young adults were presented with a modified single-category implicit association test (SC-IAT) that assessed their stereotypes about rural migrant workers. In a within-subjects design, participants completed separate blocks of compatible and incompatible trials, each of which consisted of stereotype-consistent or stereotype-inconsistent trait labels that had a positive or a negative valence. Functional MRI was used to identify specific brain regions associated with negative and positive stereotyping. The behavioral results revealed a typical stereotype regulation effect in which participants responded slower to stereotype-inconsistent condition than stereotype-consistent condition, although such effect was significantly modulated by IAT compatibility, rather than by emotional valence. MRI results revealed that activity in the right insula was significantly sensitive to stereotype regulation processes in negative incompatible tasks, whereas such effect was marginally significant in positive incompatible tasks. Moreover, psychophysiological interaction analyses indicated complex functional connectivity among the right insula and cognitive control regions [e.g., ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC)], social mentalizing regions [medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)], and motivation regions (putamen) in the condition where negative stereotypes were violated. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the right insula serves as a crucial node in regulating implicit stereotyping, particularly in negative stereotyping tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Jia
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 688 Yingbin Rd, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, 321004, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, 321004, Jinhua, People's Republic of China
| | - Billy Sung
- Consumer Research Lab, School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University, 208 Kent Street, Bentley, WA6102, Australia
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, 688 Yingbin Rd, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, 321004, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, 321004, Jinhua, People's Republic of China.
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5
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Trujillo AK, Kessé EN, Rollin O, Della Sala S, Cubelli R. A discussion on the notion of race in cognitive neuroscience research. Cortex 2021; 150:153-164. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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6
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Ng DX, Lin PKF, Marsh NV, Chan KQ, Ramsay JE. Associations Between Openness Facets, Prejudice, and Tolerance: A Scoping Review With Meta-Analysis. Front Psychol 2021; 12:707652. [PMID: 34650474 PMCID: PMC8506218 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.707652] [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: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The personality factor of openness to experience, which encompasses curiosity, imagination, and a desire for new experiences, has been associated negatively with prejudice and positively with the closely related value of tolerance. While these relationships have been reviewed at the factor level, there has been no review of research at the lower facet level. This review aims to uncover the relationships between the facets of openness and the constructs of prejudice and tolerance. We conducted a preregistered scoping review with meta-analysis following the recommended guidelines from Joanna Briggs Institute. A total of 2,349 articles were reviewed, with 16 primary research articles (or 17 studies) meeting the criteria for inclusion. Aggregated effect sizes via random-effect meta-analysis revealed that all revised neuroticism-extraversion-openness personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and international personality item pool (IPIP)-based facets of openness significantly predicted prejudice and tolerance. Out of the three measures [i.e., NEO-PI-R, IPIP-NEO, and honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience personality inventory (HEXACO-PI), and the facets of openness examined], the NEO-PI-R facet of value was most strongly associated with prejudice. In contrast, the NEO-PI-R facet of aesthetics was the facet most strongly associated with tolerance. However, these results should be treated as preliminary in light of the small number of meta-analyzed studies and more primary research studies are needed to confirm the trends found in this review. This review represents the first step in the systematic investigation of the link between the facets of openness and components of prejudice and tolerance and contributes toward explaining prejudice and tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. X. Ng
- School of Social and Health Sciences, James Cook University, Singapore, Singapore
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7
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Lantos D, Molenberghs P. The neuroscience of intergroup threat and violence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:77-87. [PMID: 34534553 PMCID: PMC9620594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.025] [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: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a global increase in hate crimes and xenophobia. In these uncertain times, real or imaginary threats can easily lead to intergroup conflict. Here, we integrate social neuroscience findings with classic social psychology theories into a framework to better understand how intergroup threat can lead to violence. The role of moral disengagement, dehumanization, and intergroup schadenfreude in this process are discussed, together with their underlying neural mechanisms. We outline how this framework can inform social scientists and policy makers to help reduce the escalation of intergroup conflict and promote intergroup cooperation. The critical role of the media and public figures in these unprecedented times is highlighted as an important factor to achieve these goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorottya Lantos
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, University College London, United Kingdom.
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8
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Fani N, Carter SE, Harnett NG, Ressler KJ, Bradley B. Association of Racial Discrimination With Neural Response to Threat in Black Women in the US Exposed to Trauma. JAMA Psychiatry 2021; 78:1005-1012. [PMID: 34319369 PMCID: PMC8319825 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.1480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Racial discrimination has a clear impact on health-related outcomes, but little is known about how discriminatory experiences are associated with neural response patterns to emotionally salient cues, which likely mediates these outcomes. OBJECTIVE To examine associations of discriminatory experiences with brainwide response to threat-relevant cues in trauma-exposed US Black women as they engage in an attentionally demanding task. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, 2014, to July 1, 2019, among 55 trauma-exposed US Black women to examine associations of racial discrimination experiences with patterns of neural response and behavior to trauma-relevant images in an affective attentional control task. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and trauma exposure were entered as covariates to isolate variance associated with experiences of racial discrimination. EXPOSURES Varying levels of trauma, PTSD symptoms, and experiences of racial discrimination. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Experiences of Discrimination Questionnaire (EOD) (range, 0-9) for count of the number of situations for which each participant reported having unfair treatment for a racial reason. Experiences of trauma and PTSD symptoms were assessed with the Traumatic Events Inventory (TEI) (number of times the person was exposed to trauma; score range, 0-112) and PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS) (score range, 0-51). Response to trauma-relevant vs neutral distractor cues were assessed via functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of an affective Stroop (attentional control) task. Statistical analyses were conducted at a whole-brain, voxelwise level with familywise error correction. RESULTS In this study of 55 Black women in the US (mean [SD] age, 37.7 [10.7] years; range, 21-61 years), participants reported a mean (SD) TEI frequency of 33.0 (18.8) and showed moderate levels of current PTSD symptoms (mean [SD] PSS score, 15.4 [12.9]). Mean (SD) EOD scores were 2.35 (2.44) and were moderately correlated with current PTSD symptoms (PSS total: r = 0.36; P=.009) but not with age (r = 0.20; P = .15) or TEI frequency (r = -0.02; P = .89). During attention to trauma-relevant vs neutral images, more experiences of racial discrimination were associated with significantly greater response in nodes of emotion regulation and fear inhibition (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and visual attention (middle occipital cortex) networks, even after accounting for trauma and severity of PTSD symptoms (brainwide familywise error corrected; r = 0.33 for ventromedial prefrontal cortex; P = .02). Racial discrimination was also associated with affective Stroop task performance; errors on trials with threat-relevant stimuli were negatively correlated with experiences of racial discrimination (r = -0.41; P = .003). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination associate with disproportionately greater response in brain regions associated with emotion regulation and fear inhibition and visual attention. Frequent racism experienced by Black individuals may potentiate attentional and regulatory responses to trauma-relevant stressors and lead to heightened modulation of regulatory resources. This may represent an important neurobiological pathway for race-related health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Nathaniel G. Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kerry J. Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia,Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia,Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
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9
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Yu J, Wang Y, Yu J, Zeng J. Racial Ingroup Bias and Efficiency Consideration Influence Distributive Decisions: A Dynamic Analysis of Time Domain and Time Frequency. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:630811. [PMID: 34040502 PMCID: PMC8141561 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.630811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although previous studies have demonstrated that identity had effect on justice norms and behavioral decisions, the neural mechanism of that effect remains unclear. In this study, the subjects made their distributive decisions on the trade-off between equity and efficiency among Chinese and foreign children and their scalp potentials were recorded. Behavioral results showed that efficiency consideration played an important part in the distribution task. Meanwhile, participants gave preferential treatment to same-race children. Relative to the distribution within ingroup children, the distribution involving outgroup children induced higher N170 amplitude. The distribution involving outgroup children also elicited weakened P300 amplitude and enhanced delta response than the distribution within ingroup children when subjects are facing the conflict between equality and efficiency. In other words, ingroup bias affected the neural process of the trade-off between equality and efficiency. The combination of time-domain and time-frequency analyses provided spatiotemporal and spectral results for a better understanding of racial ingroup favoritism on distributive justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Yu
- School of Applied Finance & Behavioral Science, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, China
| | - Yan Wang
- School of Applied Finance & Behavioral Science, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, China
| | - Jianling Yu
- School of Applied Finance & Behavioral Science, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, China
| | - Jianmin Zeng
- Sino-Britain Centre for Cognition and Ageing Research, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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10
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Parental Education, Household Income, Race, and Children's Working Memory: Complexity of the Effects. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120950. [PMID: 33297546 PMCID: PMC7762416 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Considerable research has linked social determinants of health (SDoHs) such as race, parental education, and household income to school performance, and these effects may be in part due to working memory. However, a growing literature shows that these effects may be complex: while the effects of parental education may be diminished for Blacks than Whites, household income may explain such effects. Purpose. Considering race as sociological rather than a biological construct (race as a proxy of racism) and built on Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs), this study explored complexities of the effects of SDoHs on children's working memory. Methods. We borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The total sample was 10,418, 9- and 10-year-old children. The independent variables were race, parental education, and household income. The primary outcome was working memory measured by the NIH Toolbox Card Sorting Test. Age, sex, ethnicity, and parental marital status were the covariates. To analyze the data, we used mixed-effect regression models. Results. High parental education and household income were associated with higher and Black race was associated with lower working memory. The association between high parental education but not household income was less pronounced for Black than White children. This differential effect of parental education on working memory was explained by household income. Conclusions. For American children, parental education generates unequal working memory, depending on race. This means parental education loses some of its expected effects for Black families. It also suggests that while White children with highly educated parents have the highest working memory, Black children report lower working memory, regardless of their parental education. This inequality is mainly because of differential income in highly educated White and Black families. This finding has significant public policy and economic implications and suggests we need to do far more than equalizing education to eliminate racial inequalities in children's cognitive outcomes. While there is a need for multilevel policies that reduce the effect of racism and social stratification for middle-class Black families, equalizing income may have more returns than equalizing education.
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11
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Kesner L, Fajnerová I, Adámek P, Buchtík M, Grygarová D, Hlinka J, Kozelka P, Nekovářová T, Španiel F, Tintěra J, Alexová A, Greguš D, Horáček J. Fusiform Activity Distinguishes Between Subjects With Low and High Xenophobic Attitudes Toward Refugees. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:98. [PMID: 33061893 PMCID: PMC7518069 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
This study analyzes how people's attitudes to the European refugee crisis (ERC) correspond to selected psychological state and trait measures and impact the neural processing of media images of refugees. From a large pool of respondents, who filled in an online xenophobia questionnaire, we selected two groups (total N = 38) with the same socio-demographic background, but with opposite attitudes toward refugees. We found that a negative attitude toward refugees (high xenophobia - HX) was associated with a significantly higher conscientiousness score and with a higher trait aggression and hostility, but there was no group effect connected with empathy, fear, and anxiety measures. At the neural level we found that brain activity during the presentation of ERC stimuli is affected by xenophobic attitudes—with more xenophobic subjects exhibiting a higher BOLD response in the left fusiform gyrus. However, while the fMRI results demonstrate increased attention and vigilance toward ERC-related stimuli in the HX group, they do not show differentiated patterns of brain activity associated with perception of dehumanized outgroup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladislav Kesner
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Iveta Fajnerová
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - Petr Adámek
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Martin Buchtík
- Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Dominika Grygarová
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jaroslav Hlinka
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Pavel Kozelka
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - Tereza Nekovářová
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - Filip Španiel
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jaroslav Tintěra
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - Aneta Alexová
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
| | - David Greguš
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jiří Horáček
- Applied Neurosciences and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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12
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Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Children's Amygdala Volume: Minorities' Diminish Returns. NEUROSCI 2020; 1:59-74. [PMID: 33103157 DOI: 10.3390/neurosci1020006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Considerable research has suggested that low socioeconomic status (SES) negatively influences brain structure, including but not limited to decreased amygdala volume. Considering race and ethnicity as sociological rather than biological constructs, this study was built on minorities' diminished returns (MDRs) to test if the effects of family SES on the total amygdala volume is weaker for black and Latino children than white and non-Latino children. We borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a national multi-center brain imaging investigation of childhood brain development in the US. The total sample was 9380 9-10-year-old children. The independent variables were subjective family SES and parental education. The primary outcome was total amygdala volume. High subjective SES and parental education were independently associated with larger total amygdala size. The association between high subjective SES and larger total amygdala volume was less pronounced for black and Latino children than white and non-Latino children. For American children, family SES has unequal effects on amygdala size and function, a pattern that is consistent with MDRs. This result suggests that SES loses some of its expected effects for racial and ethnic minority families.
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13
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Abstract
The social neuroscience approach to prejudice investigates the psychology of intergroup bias by integrating models and methods of neuroscience with the social psychology of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Here, we review major contemporary lines of inquiry, including current accounts of group-based categorization; formation and updating of prejudice and stereotypes; effects of prejudice on perception, emotion, and decision making; and the self-regulation of prejudice. In each section, we discuss key social neuroscience findings, consider interpretational challenges and connections with the behavioral literature, and highlight how they advance psychological theories of prejudice. We conclude by discussing the next-generation questions that will continue to guide the social neuroscience approach toward addressing major societal issues of prejudice and discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Amodio
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; .,Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mina Cikara
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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14
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Lantos D, Lau YH, Louis W, Molenberghs P. The neural mechanisms of threat and reconciliation efforts between Muslims and non-Muslims. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:420-434. [PMID: 32275464 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1754287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
To reduce the escalation of intergroup conflict, it is important that we understand the processes related to the detection of group-based threat and reconciliation. In the present study, we investigated the neural mechanisms of such processes using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Functional neuroimaging techniques may shed light on quick, automatic responses to stimuli that happen outside of conscious awareness and are thus increasingly difficult to quantify relying only on participants' self-reported experiences. They may further provide invaluable insight into physiological processes occurring in situations of sensitive nature, whereby participants-deliberately or not-may withhold their honest responses due to social desirability. Non-Muslim Western Caucasian participants watched short video clips of stereotypical Middle-Eastern Muslim males threatening their ingroup, offering reconciliation to the ingroup, or making a neutral statement. Threatening statements led to increased activation in the amygdala, insula, supramarginal gyrus, and temporal lobe. Reconciliation efforts led to increased activation in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, and caudate. The results suggest that threat detection is a relatively automatic process while evaluating and responding to reconciliation offers requires more cognitive efforts. The implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorottya Lantos
- Psychology Department, Goldsmiths, University of London , London, UK
| | - Yong Hui Lau
- School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne , Australia
| | - Winnifred Louis
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland , Australia
| | - Pascal Molenberghs
- ISN Psychology, Institute for Social Neuroscience , Melbourne, Australia
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15
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Dykxhoorn J, Lewis G, Hollander AC, Kirkbride JB, Dalman C. Association of neighbourhood migrant density and risk of non-affective psychosis: a national, longitudinal cohort study. Lancet Psychiatry 2020; 7:327-336. [PMID: 32145763 PMCID: PMC7083220 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(20)30059-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elevated risk of psychotic disorders in migrant groups is a public mental health priority. We investigated whether living in areas of high own-region migrant density was associated with reduced risk of psychotic disorders among migrants and their children, and whether generation status, probable visible minority status, or region-of-origin affected this relationship. METHODS We used the Swedish registers to identify migrants and their children born between Jan 1, 1982, and Dec 31, 1996, and living in Sweden on or after their 15th birthday. We tracked all included participants from age 15 years or date of migration until emigration, death, or study end (Dec 31, 2016). The outcome was an ICD-10 diagnosis of non-affective psychosis (F20-29). We calculated own-region and generation-specific own-region density within the 9208 small areas for market statistics neighbourhoods in Sweden, and estimated the relationship between density and diagnosis of non-affective psychotic disorders using multilevel Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for individual confounders (generation status, age, sex, calendar year, lone dwelling, and time since migration [migrants only]), family confounders (family income, family unemployment, and social welfare), and neighbourhood confounders (deprivation index, population density, and proportion of lone dwellings), and using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) to compare model fit. FINDINGS Of 468 223 individuals included in the final cohort, 4582 (1·0%) had non-affective psychotic disorder. Lower own-region migrant density was associated with increased risk of psychotic disorders among migrants (hazard ratio [HR] 1·05, 95% CI 1·02-1·07 per 5% decrease) and children of migrants (1·03, 1·01-1·06), after adjustment. These effects were stronger for probable visible minority migrants (1·07, 1·04-1·11), including migrants from Asia (1·42, 1·15-1·76) and sub-Saharan Africa (1·28, 1·15-1·44), but not migrants from probable non-visible minority backgrounds (0·99, 0·94-1·04). Among migrants, adding generation status to the measure of own-region density provided a better fit to the data than overall own-region migrant density (AIC 36 103 vs 36 106, respectively), with a 5% decrease in generation-specific migrant density corresponding to a HR of 1·07 (1·04-1·11). INTERPRETATION Migrant density was associated with non-affective psychosis risk in migrants and their children. Stronger protective effects of migrant density were found for probable visible minority migrants and migrants from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. For migrants, this risk intersected with generation status. Together, these results suggest that this health inequality is socially constructed. FUNDING Wellcome Trust, Royal Society, Mental Health Research UK, University College London, National Institute for Health Research, Swedish Research Council, and FORTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Dykxhoorn
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK; Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Glyn Lewis
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Christina Dalman
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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16
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Moradi Z, Najlerahim A, Macrae CN, Humphreys GW. Attentional saliency and ingroup biases: From society to the brain. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:324-333. [PMID: 31928322 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1716070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
There is ample evidence demonstrating intergroup biases on cognition and emotion. However, it remains unclear how exactly group identification influences these processes, with issues of context sensitivity and goal dependence remaining open to scrutiny. Providing a range of interdisciplinary material, the current review attempts to inform understanding of these issues. Specifically, we provide evidence revealing that individuals show enhanced attention for stimuli associated with an ingroup compared to an outgroup. At the attentional level, such biases can be explained by the assignment of different levels of saliency to ingroup versus outgroup targets. Critically, however, salience assignment is not fixed but varies as a function of context and goal-directed behavior. We suggest that the network in the brain previously associated with social and emotional saliency and attention - notably the anterior insula, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - underpins these effects. Moreover, although attention typically favors ingroup targets, outgroup members can be prioritized on occasion. The implications of this viewpoint and future lines of investigation are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Moradi
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) , Cardiff, Wales, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford , Oxford, England, UK
| | | | - C Neil Macrae
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - Glyn W Humphreys
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford , Oxford, England, UK
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17
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Assari S. Parental Education and Nucleus Accumbens Response to Reward Anticipation: Minorities' Diminished Returns. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 2:132-153. [PMID: 34308362 DOI: 10.22158/assc.v2n4p132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Background Considerable research has documented the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on reward-seeking behaviors; however, less is known about the multiplicative effects of race and family SES on brain response to reward anticipation. Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggest that family SES would show weaker effects on brain development of children in non-White families than in White families. Objective To test race by SES variation in Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) response to reward anticipation (NAcc-RA) among American children. Methods For this cross-sectional analysis, data came from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study which included 6,419, 9-10 year old children. The independent variable was parental education. The moderator was race. The primary outcome was the right NAcc-RA. Age, sex, ethnicity, household income, and family structure were the covariates. We used mixed effects regression models that adjusted for the nested nature of the ABCD data. Results While high parental education was associated with a higher amount of right NAcc-RA, this effect was stronger for White than non-White children. This finding was evident in the observed interactions between race and parental education on the right NAcc-RA. Discussion For American children, NAcc-RA is not shaped by race or family SES, but by their intersection. As a result of the interaction between race and SES (diminished return of SES for non-Whites), middle-class racial minority children may remain susceptible to high-risk behaviors. Disparities in high-risk behaviors in children should not be reduced to economic disparities. Structural inequalities may reduce the return of SES resources for non-White families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles Drew University, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles Drew University, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
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18
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Heinrichs RW. The duality of human cognition: operations and intentionality in mental life and illness. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 108:139-148. [PMID: 31703967 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
What people think about, the intentional aspect of cognition, is distinguished from its operational aspect, or how proficiently they think. Many psychiatric disorders as well as social problems like racism, are defined largely by specified thought contents, whereas neurological disorders including dementia are defined by low proficiency. Intentionality contrasts with operational cognition in resisting objectification and in being expressed primarily in verbal narratives and subjective self-disclosure. This yields insecure data that have slowed progress in fields where intentional cognition plays a key role. The question is how to produce more secure knowledge and open the intentional domain itself to objective investigation. The use of operational methods to infer intentionality has provided only partial answers. However, the science of reconstructing mental events with neural data is providing a new horizon for the study of intentional cognition. Reconstruction science must address major challenges related to fidelity and validity. Nevertheless, this approach is showing the first steps on the road to accessing and revealing objectively the contents of thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Walter Heinrichs
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada.
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19
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Neural signals in amygdala predict implicit prejudice toward an ethnic outgroup. Neuroimage 2019; 189:341-352. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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20
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The social neuroscience of race-based and status-based prejudice. Curr Opin Psychol 2018; 24:27-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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21
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McCutcheon R, Bloomfield MAP, Dahoun T, Quinlan M, Terbeck S, Mehta M, Howes O. Amygdala reactivity in ethnic minorities and its relationship to the social environment: an fMRI study. Psychol Med 2018; 48:1985-1992. [PMID: 29328019 PMCID: PMC5933521 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717003506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethnic minority individuals have an increased risk of developing a psychotic disorder, particularly if they live in areas of ethnic segregation, or low own group ethnic density. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this ethnic minority associated risk are unknown. We used functional MRI to investigate neural responses to faces of different ethnicity, in individuals of black ethnicity, and a control group of white British ethnicity individuals. METHODS In total 20 individuals of black ethnicity, and 22 individuals of white British ethnicity underwent a 3T MRI scan while viewing faces of black and white ethnicity. Own group ethnic density was calculated from the 2011 census. Neighbourhood segregation was quantified using the Index of Dissimilarity method. RESULTS At the within-group level, both groups showed greater right amygdala activation to outgroup faces. Between groups, the black ethnicity group showed greater right amygdala activation to white faces, compared to the white ethnicity group. Within the black ethnicity group, individuals living in areas of lower own group ethnic density showed greater right amygdala reactivity to white faces (r = -0.61, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS This is the first time an increased amygdala response to white faces has been demonstrated in individuals of black ethnicity. In the black ethnicity group, correlations were observed between amygdala response and neighbourhood variables associated with increased psychosis risk. These results may have relevance for our understanding of the increased rates of paranoia and psychotic disorders in ethnic minority individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert McCutcheon
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Robert Steiner MR Unit, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Michael A. P. Bloomfield
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Robert Steiner MR Unit, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, 6th Floor, Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London WC1T 7NF, UK
- Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1–19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Tarik Dahoun
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Robert Steiner MR Unit, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Marina Quinlan
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Robert Steiner MR Unit, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Sylvia Terbeck
- School of Psychology, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL48AA, UK
| | - Mitul Mehta
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Oliver Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Psychiatric Imaging Group, Robert Steiner MR Unit, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0NN, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatric Imaging Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
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22
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Laeng B, Kiambarua KG, Hagen T, Bochynska A, Lubell J, Suzuki H, Okubo M. The "face race lightness illusion": An effect of the eyes and pupils? PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201603. [PMID: 30071065 PMCID: PMC6072068 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In an internet-based, forced-choice, test of the ‘face race lightness illusion’, the majority of respondents, regardless of their ethnicity, reported perceiving the African face as darker in skin tone than the European face, despite the mean luminance, contrast and numbers of pixels of the images were identical. In the laboratory, using eye tracking, it was found that eye fixations were distributed differently on the African face and European face, so that gaze dwelled relatively longer onto the locally brighter regions of the African face and, in turn, mean pupil diameters were smaller than for the European face. There was no relationship between pupils’ size and implicit social attitude (IAT) scores. In another experiment, the faces were presented either tachistoscopically (140 ms) or longer (2500 ms) so that, when gaze was prevented from looking directly at the faces in the former condition, the tendency to report the African face as “dark” disappeared, but it was present when gaze was free to move for just a few seconds. We conclude that the presence of the illusion depends on oculomotor behavior and we also propose a novel account based on a predictive strategy of sensory acquisition. Specifically, by differentially directing gaze towards to facial regions that are locally different in luminance, the resulting changes in retinal illuminance yield respectively darker or brighter percepts while attending to each face, hence minimizing the mismatch between visual input and the learned perceptual prototypes of ethnic categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Laeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
| | - Kenneth Gitiye Kiambarua
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Kenya Methodist University, Meru, Kenya
| | - Thomas Hagen
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Agata Bochynska
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jamie Lubell
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, United States of America
| | - Hikaru Suzuki
- Department of Psychology, Senshu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Matia Okubo
- Department of Psychology, Senshu University, Tokyo, Japan
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23
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Paolini S, McIntyre K. Bad Is Stronger Than Good for Stigmatized, but Not Admired Outgroups: Meta-Analytical Tests of Intergroup Valence Asymmetry in Individual-to-Group Generalization Experiments. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2018; 23:3-47. [PMID: 29473444 DOI: 10.1177/1088868317753504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Theories of risk aversion, epistemic defense, and ingroup enhancement converge in predicting greater impact of negative (vs. positive) experiences with outgroup members on generalized evaluations of stigmatized outgroups. However, they diverge in predictions for admired outgroups. Past tests have focused on negative outgroups using correlational designs without a control group. Consequently, they have not distinguished between alternative explanations or ascertained the direction of causality/generalization, and they have suffered from self-selection biases. These limitations were redressed by a meta-analysis of experimental research on individual-to-group generalization with positive and negative outgroups (59 tests; 3,012 participants). Controlling for modest confounds, the meta-analysis found a generalization advantage of negative experiences for stigmatized outgroups and a generalization advantage of positive experiences for admired outgroups. These results highlight the centrality of valenced expectations about outgroups, consistent with epistemic defense and ingroup enhancement and inconsistent with risk aversion. Implications for positive changes in intergroup dynamics are discussed.
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24
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Mattan BD, Kubota JT, Dang TP, Cloutier J. External motivation to avoid prejudice alters neural responses to targets varying in race and status. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 13:22-31. [PMID: 29077925 PMCID: PMC5793846 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Those who are high in external motivation to respond without prejudice (EMS) tend to focus on non-racial attributes when describing others. This fMRI study examined the neural processing of race and an alternative yet stereotypically relevant attribute (viz., socioeconomic status: SES) as a function of the perceiver's EMS. Sixty-one White participants privately formed impressions of Black and White faces ascribed with high or low SES. Analyses focused on regions supporting race- and status-based reward/salience (NAcc), evaluation (VMPFC) and threat/relevance (amygdala). Consistent with previous findings from the literature on status-based evaluation, we observed greater neural responses to high-status (vs low-status) targets in all regions of interest when participants were relatively low in EMS. In contrast, we observed the opposite pattern when participants were relatively high in EMS. Notably, all effects were independent of target race. In summary, White perceivers' race-related motivations similarly altered their neural responses to the SES of Black and White targets. Specifically, the findings suggest that EMS may attenuate the positive value and/or salience of high status in a mixed-race context. Findings are discussed in the context of the stereotypic relationship between race and SES.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer T Kubota
- Department of Psychology
- The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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25
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Fourie MM, Stein DJ, Solms M, Gobodo-Madikizela P, Decety J. Empathy and moral emotions in post-apartheid South Africa: an fMRI investigation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:881-892. [PMID: 28338783 PMCID: PMC5472164 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Moral emotions elicited in response to others' suffering are mediated by empathy and affect how we respond to their pain. South Africa provides a unique opportunity to study group processes given its racially divided past. The present study seeks insights into aspects of the moral brain by investigating behavioral and functional MRI responses of White and Black South Africans who lived through apartheid to in- and out-group physical and social pain. Whereas the physical pain task featured faces expressing dynamic suffering, the social pain task featured victims of apartheid violence from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to elicit heartfelt emotion. Black participants' behavioral responses were suggestive of in-group favoritism, whereas White participants' responses were apparently egalitarian. However, all participants showed significant in-group biases in activation in the amygdala (physical pain), as well as areas involved in mental state representation, including the precuneus, temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and frontal pole (physical and social pain). Additionally, Black participants reacted with heightened moral indignation to own-race suffering, whereas White participants reacted with heightened shame to Black suffering, which was associated with blunted neural empathic responding. These findings provide ecologically valid insights into some behavioral and brain processes involved in complex moral situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melike M. Fourie
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Dan J. Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mark Solms
- Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
- Studies in Historical Trauma and Transformation, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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26
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Assari S, Lankarani MM. Discrimination and Psychological Distress: Gender Differences among Arab Americans. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:23. [PMID: 28265246 PMCID: PMC5316930 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the existing knowledge on the association between discrimination and poor mental health, very few studies have explored gender differences in this association in Arab Americans. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to investigate whether gender moderates the association between the experience of discrimination and psychological distress in a representative sample of Arab Americans in Michigan. METHODS Using data from the Detroit Arab American Study (DAAS), 2003, this study recruited Arab Americans (337 males, 385 females) living in Michigan, United States. The main independent variable was discrimination. The main outcome was psychological distress. Covariates included demographic factors (age), socioeconomic status (education, employment, and income), and immigration characteristics (nativity and years living in United States). Gender was the focal moderator. We used multivariable regression with and without discrimination × gender interaction term. RESULTS In the pooled sample, discrimination was positively associated with psychological distress [B = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.22-1.03, p = 0.003]. We found a significant gender × discrimination interaction in the pooled sample (B = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.01-1.59, p = 0.050), suggesting a stronger association in males than females. In our gender-specific model, higher discrimination was associated with higher psychological distress among male (B = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.33-1.42, p = 0.002) but not female (B = 0.18, 95% CI = -0.43 to 0.78, p = 0.567) Arab Americans. CONCLUSION While discrimination is associated with poor mental health, a stronger link between discrimination and psychological symptoms may exist in male compared to female Arab Americans. While efforts should be made to universally reduce discrimination, screening for discrimination may be a more salient component of mental health care for male than female Arab Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Cassidy BS, Lee EJ, Krendl AC. Age and executive ability impact the neural correlates of race perception. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2016; 11:1752-1761. [PMID: 27330185 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Decreased executive ability elicits racial bias. We clarified the neural correlates of how executive ability contributes to race perception by comparing young adults (YA) to a population with highly variable executive ability: older adults (OA). After replicating work showing higher race bias in OA vs YA and a negative association between bias and executive ability, a subsample of White YA and OA perceived Black and White faces and cars during functional magnetic resonance imaging. YA had higher executive ability than OA, and OA had higher variability in executive ability. When perceiving Black vs White faces, YA exhibited more dorsolateral prefrontal cortex recruitment-a region previously implicated in regulating prejudiced responses-than OA. Moreover, OA with relatively impaired executive ability had more amygdala activity toward Black faces vs OA with relatively intact executive ability, whereas responses to White faces did not differ. Both YA and OA with relatively intact executive ability had stronger amygdala-ventrolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity when perceiving Black vs White faces. These findings are the first to disentangle age from executive ability differences in neural recruitment when perceiving race, potentially informing past behavioral work on aging and race perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany S Cassidy
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Eunice J Lee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Anne C Krendl
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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28
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Kiebel EM, McFadden SL, Herbstrith JC. Disgusted but not afraid: Feelings toward same-sex kissing reveal subtle homonegativity. The Journal of Social Psychology 2016; 157:263-278. [PMID: 27142772 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2016.1184127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Overt sexual prejudice is declining, but heterosexuals who report little to no prejudice may still harbor subtle biases against gay men and lesbians. We examined implicit prejudice in a sample of 37 heterosexual college students who reported little or no sexual prejudice, using the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) and psychophysiological measures of affect. Skin conductance, heart rate, and facial electromyographic responses were recorded as participants viewed photos of mixed- and same-sex couples kissing and rated them on valence, arousal, and disgustingness. Sexual prejudice was evident in implicit (AMP) ratings and explicit ratings of valence and disgustingness, but not in psychophysiological responses. Results suggest that implicit prejudice harbored by young adults who endorse low levels of sexual prejudice is more cognitively than emotionally based, unlike the fear-based reactions commonly described for racism. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed.
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29
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Cassidy BS, Krendl AC. Dynamic neural mechanisms underlie race disparities in social cognition. Neuroimage 2016; 132:238-246. [PMID: 26908320 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.02.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Race disparities in behavior may emerge in several ways, some of which may be independent of implicit bias. To mitigate the pernicious effects of different race disparities for racial minorities, we must understand whether they are rooted in perceptual, affective, or cognitive processing with regard to race perception. We used fMRI to disentangle dynamic neural mechanisms predictive of two separable race disparities that can be obtained from a trustworthiness ratings task. Increased coupling between regions involved in perceptual and affective processing when viewing Black versus White faces predicted less later racial trust disparity, which was related to implicit bias. In contrast, increased functional coupling between regions involved in controlled processing predicted less later disparity in the differentiation of Black versus White faces with regard to perceived trust, which was unrelated to bias. These findings reveal that distinct neural signatures underlie separable race disparities in social cognition that may or may not be related to implicit bias.
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30
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Silveira S, Bao Y, Wang L, Pöppel E, Avram M, Simmank F, Zaytseva Y, Blautzik J. Does a bishop pray when he prays? And does his brain distinguish between different religions? Psych J 2015; 4:199-207. [PMID: 26663626 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Does a religion shape belief-related decisions and influence neural processing? We investigated an eminent bishop of the Catholic Church in Germany by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess neural processing while he was responding to short sentences of the Christian Bible, the Islamic Quran, and the Daodejing ascribed to Laozi in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, continuous praying was further compared to the resting state activity. In contrast to explicit statements of agreeing or not agreeing to different statements from the Bible and the Quran, we found in Experiment 1 no difference in neural activation when the bishop was reading these statements from the two religions. However, compared to reading statements from the Bible, reading statements from the Daodejing resulted in significantly higher activation in the left inferior and middle frontal cortices and the left middle temporal gyrus, although he equally agreed to both statements explicitly. In Experiment 2, no difference during continuous praying and the resting state activity was observed. Our results confirm the difference between explicit and implicit processing, and they suggest that a highly religious person may pray always-or never. On a more general level this observation suggests that ritualized activities might be subliminally represented in resting state activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Silveira
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Parmenides Center for Art and Science, Pullach, Germany.,Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Department, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Yan Bao
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Parmenides Center for Art and Science, Pullach, Germany.,Department of Psychology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingyan Wang
- Department of Psychology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ernst Pöppel
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Parmenides Center for Art and Science, Pullach, Germany.,Department of Psychology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mihai Avram
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Department of Nuclear Medicine and Neuroimaging Center, Technical University, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian Simmank
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Parmenides Center for Art and Science, Pullach, Germany
| | - Yuliya Zaytseva
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Parmenides Center for Art and Science, Pullach, Germany.,National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic.,Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Janusch Blautzik
- Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
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31
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Terbeck S, Kahane G, McTavish S, McCutcheon R, Hewstone M, Savulescu J, Chesterman LP, Cowen PJ, Norbury R. β-Adrenoceptor blockade modulates fusiform gyrus activity to black versus white faces. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:2951-8. [PMID: 25899791 PMCID: PMC4513220 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-3929-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol is known to reduce peripheral and central activity of noradrenaline. A recent study found that intervention with propranolol diminished negative implicit racial bias. MATERIALS AND METHOD The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to determine the neural correlates of this effect. Healthy volunteers (N = 40) of white ethnic origin received a single oral dose (40 mg) of propranolol, in a randomised, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled design, before viewing unfamiliar faces of same and other race. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION We found significantly reduced activity in the fusiform gyrus and thalamus following propranolol to out-group faces only. Additionally, propranolol lowered the implicit attitude score, without affecting explicit prejudice measure. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that noradrenaline pathways might modulate racial bias by acting on the processing of categorisation in the fusiform gyrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Terbeck
- Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL48AA UK
| | - G. Kahane
- Oxford Centre for Neuroethics, University of Oxford, Littlegate House, St Ebbes St, Oxford, OX1 1PT UK
| | - S. McTavish
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
| | - R. McCutcheon
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
| | - M. Hewstone
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 2UD UK
| | - J. Savulescu
- Oxford Centre for Neuroethics, University of Oxford, Littlegate House, St Ebbes St, Oxford, OX1 1PT UK
| | - L. P. Chesterman
- The Ansel Clinic Nottingham, Clifton Lane Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8NB UK
| | - P. J. Cowen
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
| | - R. Norbury
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, SW15 4JD UK
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32
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Abstract
Despite global increases in diversity, social prejudices continue to fuel intergroup conflict, disparities and discrimination. Moreover, as norms have become more egalitarian, prejudices seem to have 'gone underground', operating covertly and often unconsciously, such that they are difficult to detect and control. Neuroscientists have recently begun to probe the neural basis of prejudice and stereotyping in an effort to identify the processes through which these biases form, influence behaviour and are regulated. This research aims to elucidate basic mechanisms of the social brain while advancing our understanding of intergroup bias in social behaviour.
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