You shouldn't have: your brain on others' crimes.
Our legal system requires assigning responsibility for crimes and deciding on appropriate punishments. A new fMRI study by Buckholtz et al. in this issue of Neuron reveals that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) plays a key role in these cognitive processes. This finding sheds light on the neural mechanisms underlying moral judgment from a third-party perspective.
Haushofer
Johannes
J
Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, Blumlisalpstrasse 10, 8006 Zurich. johannes@iew.uzh.ch
Fehr
Ernst
E
D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*