The neuroimaging of sacred values

Abstract

Sacred (or protected) values (SVs) constitute core beliefs that define primary reference groups. There is significant research on SVs at a behavioral level, but their neural underpinnings are just beginning to be discovered. In this paper, we highlight the current state of neuroimaging research concerning SVs. Given that SVs are considered to be strongly motivated by moral principles, we first provide an outline of the neural circuits that have been found to be involved in moral cognition. We then review various neuroimaging studies that have explored the notion of SVs. Specifically, we concentrate on neuroimaging studies dealing with intergroup bias and those that focus on social norms, since these are two basic dimensions of SVs that have been studied with neuroimaging techniques. Finally, we review two studies that have directly addressed SVs with neuroimaging techniques, and we offer suggestions for further avenues of study.

Handbook of International Negotiation

“…Despite their rigidity, SVs appear somewhat immutable (Vilarroya and Hilferty 2013 ). After all, lab studies show that the passing of moral judgments may be sensitive to framing and context (Bennis et al 2010 ).…”

“…In future research, it will be important to further explore the constraints and contexts that are able to infl uence SVs (Berns et al 2012 ;Vilarroya and Hilferty 2013 ). For instance: How might confl ict primes infl uence an individual's susceptibility towards sacralization?…”