12.04.09: Updated to include remarks regarding more recent mitigation cases.
[previous] A death penalty case involving psychopath brain scans. Diminished responsibility, sez defense. No dice, sez prosecutor – psychopathy is an aggravating factor for sentencing, not mitigating.
Tag Archive for fmri
Neuropolitics: Social Dominance Orietation is associated with being as selfish jerk and egalitarian orientation is associated with being an bleeding heart, tax-and-spend deficit-increaser. Brain scan included.
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A report from the spectacular issue of New York Academy of Sciences, Values and Empathy across Social Barriers: A Neurocognitive Approach demonstrates that compassion is negatively correlated with being power hungry, and positively correlated with being a touchy-feely tax and…
Selection bias: Only risky people sign up for studies studying risk
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Neuroeconomic studies may have sample selection bias.
Take the brains scans with a grain of salt
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Brain scans for social neuroscience may not give the best data to draw any firm conclusions.
Things that change the world: Brain’s ‘Hate Circuit’ Identified
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This is your brain on “hate”: Hating another individual lights up brain areas associated with disgust, contempt and also — romantic love. Zeki S, Romaya JP (2008) Neural Correlates of Hate. PLoS ONE 3(10): e3556. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003556 Astonishing. Drs. Zeki and…
Neuroimaging article in Wired
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Brain Scans as Mind Readers? Dont Believe the Hype This is just a link to a terrific article in Wired magazine by Dr. Daniel Carlat. Dr. Carlat goes through various types of brain scanning and meets with different neuroimaging experts.…
A Psychopath Unplugged
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This post is about the neural correlates of those who seek power for power’s sake — without any emotional component — but first, a Dateline NBC example: A 12 year old girl accused her stepfather of sexually abusing her. Because…
Dude, chill – we’re not at war any more. Pass the chips.
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Quick post: Why are people who are stoned on pot pretty mellow? (To pull a phrase out of the ’70′s). Answer: The active ingredient in cannabis ( 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) reduces amygdala activity in response to social threats. Pot reduces anxiety…
Neuromarketing: Neural Correlates of Conspicuous Consumption in Groups Vulnerable to Social Injustice
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There are lots of studies as to why people purchase luxury goods, but these are mostly directed at individuals in isolation. What about group behavior? Manhattan, Harlem, Lenox Ave. Ray Fisman, an economist, has an interesting article in Slate about…
ESP remains unproven, but you knew that already
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Using Neuroimaging to Resolve the Psi Debate — Moulton and Kosslyn 20 1: 182 — The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience Here’s the block quote: . . .To increase sensitivity, this experiment was designed to produce positive results if telepathy, clairvoyance…