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Articles, Behavioral/Cognitive

Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Links Social Impressions to Political Choices

Chenjie Xia, Dietlind Stolle, Elisabeth Gidengil and Lesley K. Fellows
Journal of Neuroscience 3 June 2015, 35 (22) 8507-8514; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0526-15.2015
Chenjie Xia
1Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2B4,
3Gerontology Research Unit and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
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Dietlind Stolle
2Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, Political Science Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada, and
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Elisabeth Gidengil
2Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship, Political Science Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada, and
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Lesley K. Fellows
1Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2B4,
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Abstract

Recent studies of political behavior suggest that voting decisions can be influenced substantially by “first-impression” social attributions based on physical appearance. Separate lines of research have implicated the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the judgment of social traits on the one hand and economic decision-making on the other, making this region a plausible candidate for linking social attributions to voting decisions. Here, we asked whether OFC lesions in humans disrupted the ability to judge traits of political candidates or affected how these judgments influenced voting decisions. Seven patients with lateral OFC damage, 18 patients with frontal damage sparing the lateral OFC, and 53 matched healthy participants took part in a simulated election paradigm, in which they voted for real-life (but unknown) candidates based only on photographs of their faces. Consistent with previous work, attributions of “competence” and “attractiveness” based on candidate appearance predicted voting behavior in the healthy control group. Frontal damage did not affect substantially the ability to make competence or attractiveness judgments, but patients with damage to the lateral OFC differed from other groups in how they applied this information when voting. Only attractiveness ratings had any predictive power for voting choices after lateral OFC damage, whereas other frontal patients and healthy controls relied on information about both competence and attractiveness in making their choice. An intact lateral OFC may not be necessary for judgment of social traits based on physical appearance, but it seems to be crucial in applying this information in political decision-making.

  • decision-making
  • frontal lobes
  • human
  • neuropolitics
  • neuropsychology
  • social neuroscience
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The Journal of Neuroscience: 35 (22)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 35, Issue 22
3 Jun 2015
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Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Links Social Impressions to Political Choices
Chenjie Xia, Dietlind Stolle, Elisabeth Gidengil, Lesley K. Fellows
Journal of Neuroscience 3 June 2015, 35 (22) 8507-8514; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0526-15.2015

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Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Links Social Impressions to Political Choices
Chenjie Xia, Dietlind Stolle, Elisabeth Gidengil, Lesley K. Fellows
Journal of Neuroscience 3 June 2015, 35 (22) 8507-8514; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0526-15.2015
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Keywords

  • decision-making
  • frontal lobes
  • human
  • neuropolitics
  • neuropsychology
  • social neuroscience

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