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Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
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Terrorism as Coalitional Predation: Explaining Definitional Ambiguities and Precautionary Responses.

Michael Moncrieff1

  • 1Department of International Public Law & International Organization, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Evolutionary Psychology : an International Journal of Evolutionary Approaches to Psychology and Behavior
|July 25, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A psychological template for coalitional predation, not terrorism, may explain intuitive responses to violence. This evolutionary mismatch may cause inconsistent threat perceptions and definitions of terrorism.

Keywords:
coalitional conflictcountermeasuresdefinitionmanipulationmental templateprecautionary psychologyterrorismthreat perception

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary psychology
  • Social cognition
  • Conflict studies

Background:

  • Terrorism lacks a universal definition despite ongoing scholarly debate.
  • Public intuition often identifies terrorism based on features like indiscriminate violence and out-group perpetration.
  • These intuitive judgments trigger consistent precautionary responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a unified explanation for intuitive responses to terrorism.
  • To introduce the coalitional predation template (CPT) as an evolved psychological mechanism.
  • To explore how CPT explains definitional inconsistencies and policy challenges related to terrorism.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of evolved psychological mechanisms.
  • Analysis of situational cues triggering threat responses.
  • Examination of factors influencing the interpretation of violence.

Main Results:

  • A coalitional predation template (CPT) may underlie intuitive "terrorism" detection.
  • The CPT evolved for conflict detection, not modern terrorism, leading to potential misalignments.
  • Incomplete cues and evaluator social position contribute to disagreements on defining terrorism.

Conclusions:

  • An evolved, cue-based system, not a specific "terrorism" detector, likely drives responses.
  • Discrepancies between the CPT and modern threats can lead to disproportionate threat assessment.
  • Achieving a universally accepted definition of terrorism may be inherently impossible due to these psychological factors.