Explaining modulation of reasoning by belief.
Although deductive reasoning is a closed system, one's beliefs about the world can influence validity judgements. To understand the associated functional neuroanatomy of this belief-bias we studied 14 volunteers using event-related fMRI, as they performed reasoning tasks under neutral, facilitatory and inhibitory belief conditions. We found evidence for the engagement of a left temporal lobe system during belief-based reasoning and a bilateral parietal lobe system during belief-neutral reasoning. Activation of right lateral prefrontal cortex was evident when subjects inhibited a prepotent response associated with belief-bias and correctly completed a logical task, a finding consistent with its putative role in cognitive monitoring. By contrast, when logical reasoning was overcome by belief-bias, there was engagement of ventral medial prefrontal cortex, a region implicated in affective processing. This latter involvement suggests that belief-bias effects in reasoning may be mediated through an influence of emotional processes on reasoning.
Goel
Vinod
V
Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Queens Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. vgoel@yorku.ca
Dolan
Raymond J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003071:Cognition; D003469:Culture; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D013850:Thinking