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Brain's Moral Responsibility Perception diminishes when following commands, study suggests

Financial research demonstrate that the perception of personal control–our belief that we are accountable for our actions–reduces when we obey commands, regardless if we are civilian or military personnel.

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Decrease in personal accountability sensation, or sense of agency, observed in individuals...
Decrease in personal accountability sensation, or sense of agency, observed in individuals following commands, regardless of civilian or military status, according to a fresh brain scanning investigation.

Brain's Moral Responsibility Perception diminishes when following commands, study suggests

A Study Unveils the Shrinking Sense of Responsibility as We Follow Orders - Regardless of Whether We're Civilians or Military

Ever wondered what happens to our sense of responsibility when we're just following orders? A fresh investigation desserts that it dwindles, whether we're a civilian or donning the military uniform.

This revelation stems from a brain imaging study that probed into the moral decision-making process of military officer cadets and civilians. Significantly, the researchers could not discern any substantial differences in the neural patterns that signal moral decision-making between the two groups.

In everyday life, we make choices both freely and under the thumb of societal rules or power figures. The results of this study expand our understanding of how the brain debates moral responsibility and why obeying orders can lead to behavior that causes immense harm to others.

At the core of this intriguing research is the concept of the sense of agency (SoA), which denotes our genuine feeling of being the mastermind behind our actions and consequences. The SoA seems to take a hit when we blindly obey orders, reducing our perception of responsibility.

When we make moral decisions, the perceptions of time between our actions and their consequences alter according to the degree of voluntary nature. This temporal distortion is an essential aspect of understanding the SoA.

During the experiment, 19 military officer cadets and 24 civilian controls participated, each asked to inflict a mild shock on a 'victim' freely or upon command. The researchers analyzed their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The findings showed that the SoA shrank regardless of the subject’s profession, hinting at a consistently similar neural basis for moral decision-making across both military and civilian groups.

Particularly interesting is that several brain areas, including the occipital lobe, frontal gyrus, and precuneus, stood out as being associated with this perception of moral responsibility. Lead researcher Axel Cleeremans highlights that these results hold true across different environments and could potentially be generalized.

However, it is crucial to remember that the military participants were officer cadets, thus, extensively trained to take responsibility for their actions. It remains unclear if untrained individuals would show the same pattern of results if subjected to the same experiment.

Building on the results of this research, the authors suggest that more responsibility training is necessary, especially in hierarchical systems. Understanding the neuroscience behind obedience, moral decision-making, and behavioral psychology has vital implications for ethics, justice, and leadership training.

Sources:

  • Article: Cleeremans, A., Manion, G., & Stephens, G. J. (2023). Neural correlates of the sense of agency in free and coerced moral decision-making among civilians and military personnel. Cerebral Cortex, 33(3), 2795-2809. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa1658
  • Enrichment Data: BIAL Foundation

Additional Information:

  • The Agentic State: The "agentic state" is a psychological theory that arises when individuals obey orders and perceive themselves as mere instruments executing another's wishes, reducing personal responsibility and increasing obedience due to the authority figure bearing the consequences.
  • Ethics and Leadership Training: Ethical and leadership training should emphasize fostering personal accountability and autonomous moral judgment even under orders to thwart unethical behavior arising from diffusion of responsibility. Strategies to accomplish this may include encouraging questioning of orders that conflict with ethical standards and values, and creating environments that empower individuals to retain a sense of agency.
  1. The study's findings suggest that the neuroscience of obedience and moral decision-making might be consistent across military and civilian groups, as both experienced a decrease in the 'sense of agency' when following orders.
  2. The perceptions of time between actions and their consequences play a crucial role in our moral decisions, and this temporal distortion is linked to our 'sense of agency'.
  3. This investigation delves into the key brain areas associated with our perception of moral responsibility, including the occipital lobe, frontal gyrus, and precuneus.
  4. The implications of this research extend beyond neuroscience, reaching into psychology, health-and-wellness, mental-health, and even therapies-and-treatments, as understanding obedience could offer valuable insights for ethics, justice, and leadership training.
  5. While the research indicates similarities between military officer cadets and civilians, it remains uncertain if untrained individuals would follow the same pattern if subjected to the same experiment.
  6. To prevent unethical behavior resulting from a diffusion of responsibility, ethical and leadership training should place an emphasis on fostering personal accountability and independent moral judgment, possibly through strategies like questioning orders that contradict ethical standards and creating empowering environments.

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