title: Lateral orbitofrontal cortex links social impressions to political choices.
abstract: Recent studies of political behavior suggest that voting decisions can be influenced substantially by "first-impression" social attributions based on physical appearance. Separate lines of research have implicated the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the judgment of social traits on the one hand and economic decision-making on the other, making this region a plausible candidate for linking social attributions to voting decisions. Here, we asked whether OFC lesions in humans disrupted the ability to judge traits of political candidates or affected how these judgments influenced voting decisions. Seven patients with lateral OFC damage, 18 patients with frontal damage sparing the lateral OFC, and 53 matched healthy participants took part in a simulated election paradigm, in which they voted for real-life (but unknown) candidates based only on photographs of their faces. Consistent with previous work, attributions of "competence" and "attractiveness" based on candidate appearance predicted voting behavior in the healthy control group. Frontal damage did not affect substantially the ability to make competence or attractiveness judgments, but patients with damage to the lateral OFC differed from other groups in how they applied this information when voting. Only attractiveness ratings had any predictive power for voting choices after lateral OFC damage, whereas other frontal patients and healthy controls relied on information about both competence and attractiveness in making their choice. An intact lateral OFC may not be necessary for judgment of social traits based on physical appearance, but it seems to be crucial in applying this information in political decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2B4, Gerontology Research Unit and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129.
authors.forename: Chenjie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, Political Science Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada, and.
authors.forename: Dietlind
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stolle
authors.affiliation: Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, Political Science Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada, and.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8198-5654
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gidengil
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2B4, lesley.fellows@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Lesley K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Fellows
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011057:Politics; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D012938:Social Perception
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: decision-making; frontal lobes; human; neuropolitics; neuropsychology; social neuroscience