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Attitudes trigger motor behavior through conditioned associations: neural and behavioral evidence
Cade McCall1, Christine M Tipper, Jim Blascovich
1Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. mccall.cade@gmail.com
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|September 28, 2011
Summary
Attitudes flexibly link to actions via brain circuitry, challenging rigid views. This neurophysiological evidence shows our evaluation-action relationships are adaptable and context-dependent.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Traditionally, attitudes were thought to rigidly link positive/negative evaluations to approach/avoidant motor behaviors.
- Recent behavioral studies indicate that the relationship between evaluations and actions is context-dependent, not fixed.
- Understanding the neural basis of attitude embodiment and its flexibility is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural circuitry underlying the flexible relationship between attitudes (evaluations) and motor responses.
- To provide neurophysiological evidence for the concept of attitude embodiment.
- To determine if attitude-action links are malleable.
Main Methods:
- A behavioral study involving rapid conditioning of stimulus-response relationships between evaluations and actions.
- A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study utilizing repetition suppression.
- Analysis focused on neural systems involved in sensorimotor mappings.
Main Results:
- Behavioral conditioning demonstrated rapid formation of evaluation-action relationships.
- fMRI repetition suppression revealed these relationships are established in the dorsal premotor cortex and posterior superior parietal lobule.
- These brain regions are traditionally associated with arbitrary sensorimotor mappings.
Conclusions:
- The neural circuitry mediating evaluations and motor responses supports flexible attitude embodiment.
- This study provides the first neurophysiological evidence for how attitudes are embodied.
- The findings confirm that the link between evaluation and action is inherently malleable and context-dependent.
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