Ethics of Neuroscience

Question 1

What points can be made?

Answer 1

Understanding consciousness
Treating criminal behaviour
Enhancing neurological function
Improving marketing techniques

Question 2

How can understanding consciousness be used to argue that neuroscience is ethical?

Answer 2

Crick and Koch: Discovered the claustrum which is the seat of consciousness. 1 female participant aged 54 with epilepsy who lost consciousness when an electric current was passed over the area
We can make decisions about people in comas

Question 3

What area did Crick and Koch investigate?

Answer 3

How understanding consciousness means that neuroscience is ethical

Question 4

What was Crick and Koch’s study?

Answer 4

Discovered the claustrum which is the seat of consciousness. 1 female participant aged 54 with epilepsy who lost consciousness when an electric current was passed over the area

Question 5

How can understanding consciousness be used to argue that neuroscience is unethical?

Answer 5

Crick and Koch’s study was on one participant with an abnormal brain and should not be generalised
When do we have the right to withdraw care?
Brain actitivty vaires on culture

Question 6

How can treating criminal behaviour be used to argue that neuroscience is ethical?

Answer 6

Use of drug therapy to help them get normal behaviour

Cherek: Men with SSRIs have reduced agression so drugs can be used to make society safer

Question 7

What was Cherek’s study?

Answer 7

Gave SSRIs to impulsive and agressive men and found reduced agression which shows that drug therapy can make society safer

Question 8

What area did Cherek investigate?

Answer 8

If using nuroscience was ethical in treating criminal behaviour

Question 9

How can treating criminal behaviour be used to argue that neuroscience is unethical?

Answer 9

Crime is dependent on other factors apart from neurotransmitters
Farah: Removes free will if mandatory perscriptions are put in place (chemical straight jackets)

Question 10

What area did Farah comment on?

Answer 10

How using neuroscience to treat criminal behaviour is unethical

Question 11

How can enhancing neurological function be used to argue that neuroscience is ethical?

Answer 11

Transcranial direct current stimulation can improve the abilities of normal people
Kadosh: It leads to improvements in maths and problem solving so could help students to revise before exams
This is already done with coffee

Question 12

What area did Kadosh investigate?

Answer 12

If it’s ethical to use neuroscience when looking into enhance neurological function

Question 13

What did Kadosh say about TDCS?

Answer 13

It leads to improvements in maths and problem solving so could help students to revise before exams
But it must be used with caution due to lack of ethical guidelines

Question 14

How can enhancing neurological function be used to argue that neuroscience is unethical?

Answer 14

Kadosh: There are no ethical guidlines or training for practitioners so they may cause damage
Might only be avaliable to the rich so would create a class divide
Banned like performance enhancing drugs in sports?

Question 15

How can neuroscience be used to improve marketing techniques?

Answer 15

Removes social desirability bias
EEG and eyetracking equiptment to gauge reactions
Volkswagen used this and it increased internet traffick by 50%

Question 16

How is the use of neuroscience in improving marketing techniques unethical?

Answer 16

Wilson: Giving companies access to our inner thoughts is giving up free will
If they see incidental findings like a tumour they are not obligated to share