The ability of cognitive control allows humans to override the brain’s impulses, like focusing on one person in the crowd and ignoring distractions. It also plays a role in making moral decisions. But does cognitive control override a moral impulse to be honest, or to be dishonest? It depends on a person’s moral default, according to new research published in JNeurosci.
The researchers used EEG to find the activity pattern of cognitive control and compare it to the brain activity of participants during a cheating task.
Participants played spot-the-difference and won a reward when they reported finding three differences. But only some pairs of images actually contained three differences, encouraging the participants to cheat.
The moral default of the participants varied: some people chose to cheat a few times, while others only told the truth a few times.
As participants decided whether or not to cheat, the activity of theta brainwaves strengthened — an activity pattern representative of cognitive control. Stronger theta activity meant participants were more likely to go against their moral default: cheaters were more likely to be honest, and honest people were more likely to cheat.
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2021/09/03/JNEUROSCI.0666-21.2021
To cheat or not to cheat?
- 1,229 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
How tumor stiffness alters…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jun
Neural circuit involved in…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jun
Signaling mechanism in live…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Statin prevents cancer deve…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Predicting recovery in pati…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Other Top Stories
Complement genes implicated in sex difference in autoimmune disorde…
Read more
Platelets exacerbate immune response
Read more
Declining T cell immunity in the elderly
Read more
How inflammatory cell death regulator controls necroptosis
Read more
Immune system works differently between and first and later pregnan…
Read more
Protocols
Clinical and CSF single-cel…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
ChatGPT-assisted deep learn…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jun
Turning the tide in aggress…
By newseditor
Posted 03 Jun
Mapping medically relevant…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Jun
Accessible high-speed image…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Publications
Cytosolic pH is a direct ne…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jun
Control of feeding by a bot…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Jun
BCAA-nitrogen flux in brown…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Mitochondrial GRIM19 Loss I…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Cofilactin rod formation me…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jun
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar