HV

6/16/15

How are you today? SO HAPPY THIS IS THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL. IT HAS BEEN A LONG YEAR. I AM READY FOR A BREAK!

CRIME AND CONTEXT

CONTEXT IS THE BACKGROUND OF A SITUATION OR EVENT. SO, PEOPLE MAY LOOK AT CRIMES DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION.

HARVARD PROFESSOR, MICHAEL TREADWAY, STUDIED THE EFFECT OF CONTEXT ON PUNISHMENTS THAT PEOPLE GAVE FOR CRIMES. THIS IS AN INTERESTING CONCEPT. I AM NOT SURE THAT CONTEXT SHOULD MATTER. A CRIME IS A CRIME. 

TREADWAY HAD HIS SUBJECTS MRIED WHILE THEY EVALUATED CRIME SCENES. THE MRIS LOOKED AT THE AMYGDALA AND PREFRONTAL DORSOLATERAL CORTEX (This should be dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. I pointed this out to Huan so he would know).THE AMYGDALA LOOKS AT EMOTIONS AND THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DECISION MAKING. 

ANOTHER GROUP WAS SHOWN THE SAME CRIME SCENES BUT WERE TOLD IT WAS AN ACCIDENT OR UNINTENDED. THE ANTERIOR TEMPORORO-PARTIAL CORTEX. (Here Huan confused the areas of the brain - which is super tough on 1 time hearing it...should be dorsal anterior cingulate cortex + temporo-parietal junction)KICKED IN AND BLOCKED REACTIONS TO THE AMYGDALA. THEN THE SUBJECTS HAD A MUCH MORE LENIENT PUNISHMENT. THESE REGIONS OF THE BRAIN HANDLE EMPATHY. SO IT LETS YOU PUT YOURSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES. 

THIS IS A REALLY INTERESTING STUDY OF HOW CONTEXT INFLUENCES YOUR BRAIN. IT BRINGS UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS LIKES DOES THIS VARY ACROSS AND CULTURES AND HOW EMPATHY DEVELOPS WITH AGE. I WONDER IF AUTISTICS WOULD SHOW THE SAME RESULTS.