2025/01/01 by Amanda S. Bruce, John M. Crespi, Dermot J. Hayes +4 · 1 voice
Neuroscience · Social Sciences · #Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies #Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment #Social and Intergroup Psychology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/pls.2025.2
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/24
We measured brain activity using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm and conducted a whole-brain analysis while healthy adult Democrats and Republicans made non-hypothetical food choices. While the food purchase decisions were not significantly different, we found that brain activation during decision-making differs according to the participant's party affiliation. Models of partisanship based on left insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, superior frontal gyrus, or premotor/supplementary motor area activations achieve better than expected accuracy. Understanding the differential function of neural systems that lead to indistinguishable choices may provide leverage in explaining the broader mechanisms of partisanship.