Research suggests brain quickly recognizes whether harm is intentional or accidental
Michael De Dora
Posted on December 21, 2012
New research performed at the University of Chicago suggests the human brain is able to detect within a split second whether a harmful action is intentional or accidental. The research, performed by UChicago Professor Jean Decety and research associate Stephanie Cacioppo, was published in a paper, “The Speed of Morality: A High-Density Electrical Neuroimaging Study,” on Dec. 1 in the Journal of Neurophysiology. According to a news summary: The researchers studied adults who watched videos of people who suffered accidental harm (such as being hit with a golf club) and intentional harm (such as being struck with a baseball bat). While watching the videos, brain activity was collected with equipment that accurately maps responses in different regions of the brain and importantly, the timing…
Tagged: brain, ethics, morality, philosophy, science