A short article published recently in Nature Neuroscience suggests that the brains of self-reported liberals showed greater conflict-related anterior cingulate cortex activity (ERP) in a Go/No-go task (when errors were made or when inhibition of the pre-potent response was required) than did the brains of self-reported conservatives. Liberalism was also associated with greater accuracy on no-go trials, leading the authors to suggest that "a more conservative orientation is related to greater persistence in a habitual response pattern, despite signals that this response pattern should change." In an interview given to the LA Times, lead author David Amodio (NYU)
...cautioned that the study looked at a narrow range of human behavior and that it would be a mistake to conclude that one political orientation was better. The tendency of conservatives to block distracting information could be a good thing depending on the situation, he said.
Political orientation, he noted, occurs along a spectrum, and positions on specific issues, such as taxes, are influenced by many factors, including education and wealth. Some liberals oppose higher taxes and some conservatives favor abortion rights.
Still, he acknowledged that a meeting of the minds between conservatives and liberals looked difficult given the study results.
"Does this mean liberals and conservatives are never going to agree?" Amodio asked. "Maybe it suggests one reason why they tend not to get along."
A simple study that may be more provocative than informative, given the acknowledged limitations, but with plenty of room for interpretive commentary. Also, interestingly timed with the political primaries around the corner. Would ERPs and Go/No-go performance in early adolescence predict political orientation when future voters come of age? Maybe parties interested in long-term political dominance would be keen to find out. Will this article become a lightning rod for those involved in the liberal/conservative culture wars, now that neuroscience has been added to several decades of political psychology research?
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