just what I've always suspected

[Guest guest]

I don't normally forward this kind of thing but thought this was

interesting and explains a lot and not just about politicians

from

 

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060124_political_decisions.html

 

Democrats and Republicans Both Adept at Ignoring Facts, Study Finds

*By LiveScience Staff *

 

posted: 24 January 2006

10:03 am ET

 

 

Democrats and Republicans alike are adept at making decisions without

letting the facts get in the way, a new study shows.

 

And they get quite a rush from ignoring information that's contrary to

their point of view.

 

Researchers asked staunch party members from both sides to evaluate

information that threatened their preferred candidate prior to the 2004

Presidential election. The subjects' brains were monitored while they

pondered.

 

The results were announced today.

 

" We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain

normally engaged during reasoning, " said Drew Westen, director of

clinical psychology at Emory University. " What we saw instead was a

network of emotion circuits lighting up, including circuits hypothesized

to be involved in regulating emotion, and circuits known to be involved

in resolving conflicts. "

 

*Bias on both sides *

 

The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally

biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be

discounted, Westen and his colleagues say.

 

Then, with their minds made up, brain activity ceased in the areas that

deal with negative emotions such as disgust. But activity spiked in the

circuits involved in reward, a response similar to what addicts

experience when they get a fix, Westen explained.

 

The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making.

 

" None of the circuits involved in conscious reasoning were particularly

engaged, " Westen said. " Essentially, it appears as if partisans twirl

the cognitive kaleidoscope until they get the conclusions they want, and

then they get massively reinforced for it, with the elimination of

negative emotional states and activation of positive ones. "

 

Notably absent were any increases in activation of the dorsolateral

prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain most associated with reasoning.

 

The tests involved pairs of statements by the candidates, President

George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, that clearly contradicted each

other. The test subjects were asked to consider and rate the

discrepancy. Then they were presented with another statement that might

explain away the contradiction. The scenario was repeated several times

for each candidate.

 

The brain imaging revealed a consistent pattern. Both Republicans and

Democrats consistently denied obvious contradictions for their own

candidate but detected contradictions in the opposing candidate.

 

" The result is that partisan beliefs are calcified, and the person can

learn very little from new data, " Westen said.

 

Vote for Tom Hanks

 

Other relatively neutral candidates were introduced into the mix, such

as the actor Tom Hanks. Importantly, both the Democrats and Republicans

reacted to the contradictions of these characters in the same manner.

 

The findings could prove useful beyond the campaign trail.

 

" Everyone from executives and judges to scientists and politicians may

reason to emotionally biased judgments when they have a vested interest

in how to interpret 'the facts,' " Westen said.

 

The researchers will present the findings Saturday at the Annual

Conference of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.

 

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