Moral competence and brain connectivity: A resting-state fMRI study.
Wi Hoon Jung, Kristin Prehn, Zhuo Fang, Marc Korczykowski, Joseph W Kable, Hengyi Rao, Diana C Robertson
Author Information
Wi Hoon Jung: Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
Kristin Prehn: Department of Neurology & NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
Zhuo Fang: Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China.
Marc Korczykowski: Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Department of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
Joseph W Kable: Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
Hengyi Rao: Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States; Laboratory of Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: hengyi@mail.med.upenn.edu.
Diana C Robertson: Department of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States. Electronic address: robertsd@wharton.upenn.edu.
Moral competence (MC) refers to the ability to apply certain moral orientations in a consistent and differentiated manner when judging moral issues. People greatly differ in terms of MC, however, little is known about how these differences are implemented in the brain. To investigate this question, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and examined resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in n=31 individuals with MC scores in the highest 15% of the population and n=33 individuals with MC scores in the lowest 15%, selected from a large sample of 730 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students. Compared to individuals with lower MC, individuals with higher MC showed greater amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal connectivity, which may reflect better ability to cope with emotional conflicts elicited by moral dilemmas. Moreover, individuals with higher MC showed less inter-network connectivity between the amygdalar and fronto-parietal networks, suggesting a more independent operation of these networks. Our findings provide novel insights into how individual differences in moral judgment are associated with RSFC in brain circuits related to emotion processing and cognitive control.
