Dems and Repubs both adept at ignoring facts, brain scan shows

[bkholdem]

Subjects were asked to evaluate statements by President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, seen here after a debate on Oct. 8, 2004. Both Republicans and Democrats ignored information that could not rationally be discounted, the study found.


Democrats and Republicans alike are adept at making decisions without letting the facts get in the way, a new study shows.

And they get quite a rush from ignoring information that's contrary to their point of view.

Researchers asked staunch party members from both sides to evaluate information that threatened their preferred candidate prior to the 2004 Presidential election. The subjects' brains were monitored while they pondered.

The results were announced today.

"We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning," said Drew Westen, director of clinical psychology at Emory University. "What we saw instead was a network of emotion circuits lighting up, including circuits hypothesized to be involved in regulating emotion, and circuits known to be involved in resolving conflicts."

see the full article here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11009379/

"they get quite a rush from ignoring information that's contrary to their point of view. " lol

I wonder what the brain scan shows when libs and acers take the test? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[tolbiny]

bk,
what kind of a reaction do you expect to get when you present logical evidence that people are able to emotionally override the rational part of their brain?

[iron81]

These results aren't entirely on the viewers. The messages made by politicians are generally designed to appeal more to emotion than logic. This incidentally is similar to most advertising.

[bkholdem]

[ QUOTE ]
bk,
what kind of a reaction do you expect to get when you present logical evidence that people are able to emotionally override the rational part of their brain?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't have expectations on others in situations such as this. Expectations are premeditated resentments.

And the study does not show that people 'are able to', it seems to show that dems and repubs ROUTINELY DO THIS.

But you make an interesting point. lol

[bkholdem]

[ QUOTE ]
These results aren't entirely on the viewers. The messages made by politicians are generally designed to appeal more to emotion than logic. This incidentally is similar to most advertising.

[/ QUOTE ]

The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted, Westen and his colleagues say.

Then, with their minds made up, brain activity ceased in the areas that deal with negative emotions such as disgust. But activity spiked in the circuits involved in reward, a response similar to what addicts experience when they get a fix, Westen explained.

The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making.



lolabdicatingresponsibilityaments

[AlexM]

This is why I have a lot more respect for those statists who admit that taxation is theft than those who don't.

[DVaut1]

This study is essentially just restating something like "confirmation bias exists", and I would suspect that libertarians aren't all that immune to it either.

[Dan.]

[ QUOTE ]
This is why I have a lot more respect for those statists who admit that taxation is theft than those who don't.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the nonsequitor. +1 political points for you, I guess.

[Dan.]

[ QUOTE ]
This study is essentially just restating something like "confirmation bias exists", and I would suspect that libertarians aren't all that immune to it either.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have no doubt that a similar experiment would confirm the same for libertarians.

[AlexM]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This is why I have a lot more respect for those statists who admit that taxation is theft than those who don't.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the nonsequitor. +1 political points for you, I guess.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a non sequitur at all, but there's no point arguing about it.