Han Hyemin, Glover Gary H, Jeong Changwoo
Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Behav Brain Res. 2014 Feb 1;259:215-28. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.11.012. Epub 2013 Nov 18.
This study compares the neural substrate of moral decision making processes between Korean and American participants. By comparison with Americans, Korean participants showed increased activity in the right putamen associated with socio-intuitive processes and right superior frontal gyrus associated with cognitive control processes under a moral-personal condition, and in the right postcentral sulcus associated with mental calculation in familiar contexts under a moral-impersonal condition. On the other hand, American participants showed a significantly higher degree of activity in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) associated with conflict resolution under the moral-personal condition, and in the right medial frontal gyrus (MFG) associated with simple cognitive branching in non-familiar contexts under the moral-impersonal condition when a more lenient threshold was applied, than Korean participants. These findings support the ideas of the interactions between the cultural background, education, and brain development, proposed in the field of cultural psychology and educational psychology. The study introduces educational implications relevant to moral psychologists and educators.
本研究比较了韩国和美国参与者在道德决策过程中的神经基础。与美国人相比，韩国参与者在道德个人情境下，与社会直觉过程相关的右侧壳核以及与认知控制过程相关的右侧额上回活动增加；在道德非个人情境下，与熟悉情境中的心算相关的右侧中央后沟活动增加。另一方面，当应用更宽松的阈值时，美国参与者在道德个人情境下与冲突解决相关的双侧前扣带回皮质（ACC），以及在道德非个人情境下与不熟悉情境中的简单认知分支相关的右侧内侧额回（MFG）的活动程度明显高于韩国参与者。这些发现支持了文化心理学和教育心理学领域提出的文化背景、教育和大脑发育之间相互作用的观点。该研究介绍了与道德心理学家和教育工作者相关的教育意义。
