Article: Moral Judgments Can Be Altered research finding

[Guest guest]

While BPD (and the Cluster B disorders) most certainly involve malfunction in

various parts of the brain,an interesting research project on mentally healthy

subjects has revealed that manipulation of the right temporo-parietal junction

of the human brain (identified as the region from whence we get our notions of

" morality " ) results in the suspension of functional moral judgment.

Apparently this particular area of the brain doesn't fully develop until we

are in our twenties--which made me wonder if,for the Cluster B camp,the RTPJ

never fully develops at all.

Here is a brief description of the RTPJ region's role:

" Accumulating evidence from cognitive neuroscience indicates that the

right inferior parietal cortex, at the junction with the posterior temporal

cortex, plays a critical role in various aspects of social cognition such as

theory of mind and empathy. With a quantitative meta-analysis of 70 functional

neuroimaging studies, the authors demonstrate that this area is also engaged in

lower-level (bottom-up) computational processes associated with the sense of

agency and reorienting attention to salient stimuli. It is argued that this

domain-general computational mechanism is crucial for higher level social

cognitive processing. "

" Theory of mind " is the ability to *accurately assess* someone else's

intentions. " Reorienting attention to salient stimuli " would be making a

functional judgment as to how to react when confronted with data which may or

may not be congruent with what had proceeded it based on one's own sense of

personal agency.

If this area of your brain isn't working,you are going to have some

pretty wacky moral judgment.

Here's the article about a research experiment where the functioning of

the RTPJ was purposefully suspended.Remind anyone of their nada?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329152516.htm

--

[Guest guest]

Fascinating stuff, neuroscience. I personally have great hope that the " hard

sciences " (studies of the structure of the brain, brain chemistry, the way

neurons interact with each other, etc., and genetic mapping, gene therapy, etc.)

will eventually provide us with more accurate ways of diagnosing mental

illnesses really early in life, more effective treatments, and possibly even

cures. Thanks for the link!

-Annie

>

> While BPD (and the Cluster B disorders) most certainly involve malfunction in

various parts of the brain,an interesting research project on mentally healthy

subjects has revealed that manipulation of the right temporo-parietal junction

of the human brain (identified as the region from whence we get our notions of

" morality " ) results in the suspension of functional moral judgment.

>

> Apparently this particular area of the brain doesn't fully develop until

we are in our twenties--which made me wonder if,for the Cluster B camp,the RTPJ

never fully develops at all.

>

> Here is a brief description of the RTPJ region's role:

>

> " Accumulating evidence from cognitive neuroscience indicates that the

right inferior parietal cortex, at the junction with the posterior temporal

cortex, plays a critical role in various aspects of social cognition such as

theory of mind and empathy. With a quantitative meta-analysis of 70 functional

neuroimaging studies, the authors demonstrate that this area is also engaged in

lower-level (bottom-up) computational processes associated with the sense of

agency and reorienting attention to salient stimuli. It is argued that this

domain-general computational mechanism is crucial for higher level social

cognitive processing. "

>

> " Theory of mind " is the ability to *accurately assess* someone else's

intentions. " Reorienting attention to salient stimuli " would be making a

functional judgment as to how to react when confronted with data which may or

may not be congruent with what had proceeded it based on one's own sense of

personal agency.

>

> If this area of your brain isn't working,you are going to have some

pretty wacky moral judgment.

>

> Here's the article about a research experiment where the functioning

of the RTPJ was purposefully suspended.Remind anyone of their nada?

>

> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329152516.htm

>

>

> --

>

[Guest guest]

, thanks for this. I read the article you supplied the link to; medical

science always gives me comfort when applied to the pain of family. It gives me

a context for the craziness and steps me outside of the family dynamics the use

only tools of shame and blame as the cause of everything.

Many thanks,

AFB

>

> While BPD (and the Cluster B disorders) most certainly involve malfunction in

various parts of the brain,an interesting research project on mentally healthy

subjects has revealed that manipulation of the right temporo-parietal junction

of the human brain (identified as the region from whence we get our notions of

" morality " ) results in the suspension of functional moral judgment.

>

> Apparently this particular area of the brain doesn't fully develop until

we are in our twenties--which made me wonder if,for the Cluster B camp,the RTPJ

never fully develops at all.

>

> Here is a brief description of the RTPJ region's role:

>

> " Accumulating evidence from cognitive neuroscience indicates that the

right inferior parietal cortex, at the junction with the posterior temporal

cortex, plays a critical role in various aspects of social cognition such as

theory of mind and empathy. With a quantitative meta-analysis of 70 functional

neuroimaging studies, the authors demonstrate that this area is also engaged in

lower-level (bottom-up) computational processes associated with the sense of

agency and reorienting attention to salient stimuli. It is argued that this

domain-general computational mechanism is crucial for higher level social

cognitive processing. "

>

> " Theory of mind " is the ability to *accurately assess* someone else's

intentions. " Reorienting attention to salient stimuli " would be making a

functional judgment as to how to react when confronted with data which may or

may not be congruent with what had proceeded it based on one's own sense of

personal agency.

>

> If this area of your brain isn't working,you are going to have some

pretty wacky moral judgment.

>

> Here's the article about a research experiment where the functioning

of the RTPJ was purposefully suspended.Remind anyone of their nada?

>

> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329152516.htm

>

>

> --

>

[Guest guest]

, thanks for this. I read the article you supplied the link to; medical

science always gives me comfort when applied to the pain of family. It gives me

a context for the craziness and steps me outside of the family dynamics the use

only tools of shame and blame as the cause of everything.

Many thanks,

AFB

>

> While BPD (and the Cluster B disorders) most certainly involve malfunction in

various parts of the brain,an interesting research project on mentally healthy

subjects has revealed that manipulation of the right temporo-parietal junction

of the human brain (identified as the region from whence we get our notions of

" morality " ) results in the suspension of functional moral judgment.

>

> Apparently this particular area of the brain doesn't fully develop until

we are in our twenties--which made me wonder if,for the Cluster B camp,the RTPJ

never fully develops at all.

>

> Here is a brief description of the RTPJ region's role:

>

> " Accumulating evidence from cognitive neuroscience indicates that the

right inferior parietal cortex, at the junction with the posterior temporal

cortex, plays a critical role in various aspects of social cognition such as

theory of mind and empathy. With a quantitative meta-analysis of 70 functional

neuroimaging studies, the authors demonstrate that this area is also engaged in

lower-level (bottom-up) computational processes associated with the sense of

agency and reorienting attention to salient stimuli. It is argued that this

domain-general computational mechanism is crucial for higher level social

cognitive processing. "

>

> " Theory of mind " is the ability to *accurately assess* someone else's

intentions. " Reorienting attention to salient stimuli " would be making a

functional judgment as to how to react when confronted with data which may or

may not be congruent with what had proceeded it based on one's own sense of

personal agency.

>

> If this area of your brain isn't working,you are going to have some

pretty wacky moral judgment.

>

> Here's the article about a research experiment where the functioning

of the RTPJ was purposefully suspended.Remind anyone of their nada?

>

> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100329152516.htm

>

>

> --

>