A recent study by
Drew Westen from Emory University gives an interesting take on the neuro-psychological basis of our current political environment. The recognition of the problem (Confirmation Bias)
is not new. A summary of the research in
Scientific American.com quotes Francis Bacon (Novum Organum, 1620)
The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion ... draws all things else to support and agree with it. And though there be a greater number and weight of instances to be found on the other side, yet these it either neglects and despises ... in order that by this great and pernicious predetermination the authority of its former conclusions may remain inviolate.
Westen's research used modern technology -- functional MRI to identify where some information was being processed in the brain.
Note: This topic appeared before, in a diary by
kosblt, but it only got 5 comments, so I thought I would try to bring it back.
The actual research:
During the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, while undergoing an fMRI bran scan, 30 men--half self-described as "strong" Republicans and half as "strong" Democrats--were tasked with assessing statements by both George W. Bush and John Kerry in which the candidates clearly contradicted themselves. Not surprisingly, in their assessments Republican subjects were as critical of Kerry as Democratic subjects were of Bush, yet both let their own candidate off the hook.
The neuroimaging results, however, revealed that the part of the brain most associated with reasoning--the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex--was quiescent. Most active were the orbital frontal cortex, which is involved in the processing of emotions; the anterior cingulate, which is associated with conflict resolution; the posterior cingulate, which is concerned with making judgments about moral accountability; and--once subjects had arrived at a conclusion that made them emotionally comfortable--the ventral striatum, which is related to reward and pleasure.
"We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning," Westen is quoted as saying in an Emory University press release. "What we saw instead was a network of emotion circuits lighting up, including circuits hypothesized to be involved in regulating emotion, and circuits known to be involved in resolving conflicts." Interestingly, neural circuits engaged in rewarding selective behaviors were activated. "Essentially, it appears as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want, and then they get massively reinforced for it, with the elimination of negative emotional states and activation of positive ones," Westen said.
Read the entire article. It is short. I could not find a link to the paper, but the above link to Westen's web site gives some related publications. Also kosblt's diary gives
the Scientific American column.
And a good followup article is on the blog
Dispatches from the
Culture Wars which I found through
ScienceBlogs.
Check it out.
P.S. This is only my second diary. Be kind.