Citation

Phelps EA, Thomas LA. Polit. Psychol. 2003; 24(4): 747-758.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, International Society of Political Psychology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1046/j.1467-9221.2003.00350.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Recent advances in brain imaging techniques have allowed us to explore the neural basis of complex human behaviors with more precision than was previously possible. As we begin to uncover the neural systems of behaviors that are socially and culturally important, we need to be clear about how to integrate this new approach with our psychological understanding of these behaviors. This article reviews findings about the neural systems involved in processing race group information, in particular the recognition of same-race versus other-race faces and the explicit and implicit evaluation of race groups. Combining the psychological and neural approaches can advance our understanding of these complex human behaviors more rapidly and with more clarity than could be achieved with either approach alone. However, it is inappropriate to assume that the results of neuroimaging studies of a given behavior are more informative than the results of psychological studies of that behavior.

Language: en