Abstract | Despite global increases in diversity, social prejudices continue to fuel intergroup conflict, disparities and discrimination. Moreover, as norms have become more egalitarian, prejudices seem to have ‘gone underground’, operating covertly and often unconsciously, such that they are difficult to detect and control. Neuroscientists have recently begun to probe the neural basis of prejudice and stereotyping in an effort to identify the processes through which these biases form, influence behaviour and are regulated. This research aims to elucidate basic mechanisms of the social brain while advancing our understanding of intergroup bias in social behaviour. Social motivations, such as the desire to affiliate or compete with others, rank among the most potent of human drives. Not surprisingly, the capacity to discern ‘us’ from ‘them’ is fundamental in the human brain. Although this computation takes just a fraction of a second it sets the stage for social categorization, stereotypes, prejudices, intergroup conflict and inequality, and, at the extremes, war and genocide. Thus, although prejudice stems from a mechanism of survival, built on cognitive systems that ‘structure’ the physical world, its function in modern society is complex and its effects are often deleterious. libgen.org/scimag/get.php?doi=10.1038%2Fnrn3800
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:04:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015