從著裝規(guī)定和餐桌上的禮儀到稅收及聯(lián)邦法律,，社會(huì)規(guī)范一直是人類文明的一個(gè)標(biāo)志?？v觀歷史,，人類一直通過(guò)威脅要懲罰那些不遵守社會(huì)規(guī)范的人來(lái)實(shí)施社會(huì)規(guī)范。如今,，研究人員已經(jīng)查明了一個(gè)被稱為右外側(cè)前額葉皮層(rLPFC)的特別腦區(qū)——rLPFC控制著對(duì)社會(huì)規(guī)范的遵從——無(wú)論是在對(duì)這些規(guī)范的采納是自愿的還是在當(dāng)受到懲罰威脅時(shí),。Christian Ruff及其同事用一種叫做經(jīng)顱直流電刺激的技術(shù)來(lái)增強(qiáng)或降低在一個(gè)游戲中的63名研究參與者的rLPFC的活動(dòng)；在該游戲中,，參與者相互之間會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)移金錢并會(huì)相互威脅如果所收到的錢的數(shù)量太小的話會(huì)給予制裁,。Ruff及其他的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)rLPFC中的活性增強(qiáng)時(shí)——且當(dāng)受到其他玩家以制裁威脅時(shí)——研究的參與者會(huì)給其他參與者顯著地轉(zhuǎn)了更多的金錢,。他們說(shuō),，另一方面，當(dāng)rLPFC中的活動(dòng)減少時(shí)--即使當(dāng)受到制裁威脅時(shí)--參與者轉(zhuǎn)給其他玩家的錢會(huì)顯著變少,。有趣的是,，當(dāng)轉(zhuǎn)錢完全是自愿且不涉及制裁時(shí)，參與者會(huì)做出相反的事情——當(dāng)他們r(jià)LPFC的活動(dòng)增強(qiáng)時(shí)會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)較少的錢,，而當(dāng)他們r(jià)LPFC的活動(dòng)減少時(shí)會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)更多的錢,。研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)研究的參與者是與電腦而不是與其他人來(lái)玩該游戲時(shí),，刺激rLPFC所施加的影響會(huì)弱得多,，提示rLPFC要影響社會(huì)規(guī)范的遵守可能需要有一個(gè)社會(huì)環(huán)境。這些發(fā)現(xiàn)提示,，rLPFC構(gòu)成了人類行為的一個(gè)古老而且重要的方面,，且它們可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致對(duì)以不遵守社會(huì)規(guī)范為特征的某些精神疾病及神經(jīng)疾病（更不用提犯罪活動(dòng)）的新的了解,。（生物谷 Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1241399
Changing Social Norm Compliance With Noninvasive Brain Stimulation
C. C. Ruff1,*, G. Ugazio1,2, E. Fehr1,*
All known human societies have maintained social order by enforcing compliance with social norms. The biological mechanisms underlying norm compliance are, however, hardly understood. We show that the right lateral prefrontal cortex (rLPFC) is involved in both voluntary and sanction-induced norm compliance. Both types of compliance could be changed by varying neural excitability of this brain region with transcranial direct current stimulation, but they were affected in opposite ways, suggesting that the stimulated region plays a fundamentally different role in voluntary and sanction-based compliance. Brain stimulation had a particularly strong effect for compliance based on socially constituted sanctions, while it left beliefs about what the norm prescribes and about subjectively expected sanctions unaffected. Our findings suggest that rLPFC activity is a key biological prerequisite for an evolutionarily and socially important aspect of human behavior.
