Additional information 4.2
Using fMRI to identify neural correlates of conformity
Berns et al. (2005) investigated changes in the brain activity of participants involved in a conformity
experiment. They used fMRI to see if they could detect differences in the brain activation patterns
between two groups of participants: those who conformed to a unanimous wrong group judgement and
those who maintained their independence by disagreeing with the group. Disagreeing with a group is
often viewed as accompanied by negative emotional states (such as anxiety and tension).
The researchers used a cognitive task, mental rotation. While being scanned, participants were
presented with an image of a three-dimensional figure. They were asked to indicate if this image was
the same as another figure which was presented to the participants rotated away from the original
figure.
Participants interacted with the four other participants (actually confederates of the investigators)
before being placed in the scanner. The four confederates were presented as participants who would be
carrying out the same task but without having their brains scanned. The genuine participant completed
one-third of the trials without having any knowledge of how the other ‘participants’ were responding to
the rotation task. On the other two-thirds of the trials, the genuine participant could see the others’
responses on a visual display. For half of the trials, the confederates chose the right answer. For the
remaining trials, they unanimously gave the same wrong answer.
The participants conformed to the group’s wrong answers in 41% of the trials. When the participants
answered alone, the fMRI showed increased activity in the posterior brain areas. These areas are
associated with visual perception. The same areas were activated on trials in which the participants
conformed to the groups’ wrong answers. But when participants decided to act independently, the
visual perception areas did not exhibit high levels of activation. Rather the amygdala, which is closely
related to the experience of negative emotions, and the right caudate nucleus, an area that is implicated
in the control of social behaviour, showed high levels of activation.
Berns et al. interpreted these findings as supportive of the idea that conformity to group pressure takes
place because people experience negative emotions when they have to disagree with the beliefs and
responses of a group. Whether or not these researchers are correct in their specific interpretation of
their findings, their study is important in that it provides clear evidence of the involvement of
identifiable brain structures in conformity.
© Pearson Education Ltd 2010. For more information about the Pearson Baccalaureate series please visit
www.pearsonbacc.com
1
Reference
Berns GS, Chappelow J, Zink CF, et al. (2005). Neurobiological correlates of social conformity and
independence during mental rotation. Biol Psychiat 58:245–53
Further research
Do an online search to identify the brain areas mentioned above.
In what ways could the unusualness of the setting (responding while been scanned) have affected Berns
et al.’s findings?
© Pearson Education Ltd 2010. For more information about the Pearson Baccalaureate series please visit
www.pearsonbacc.com
2