Week 4: The brain, free will, and the law

Question 1

What is Free Will in the context of neuroscience?

Answer 1

Free Will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action, to act when you choose, and to do so unimpeded. It explores whether we have control over our actions and to what extent. Neuroscience has investigated this through the study of brain activity related to decision-making.

Question 2

What is the mind-body problem?

Answer 2

The mind-body problem explores how non-physical aspects of the mind like free will, consciousness, and memory might interact with the physical structures of the brain.

Question 3

What is the “Readiness Potential” and how is it measured?

Answer 3

The Readiness Potential is a pre-movement build-up of electrical potential in the front of the brain. It is measured using scalp EEG.

Question 4

Who conducted a landmark experiment on Free Will in the 1980s?

Answer 4

Neurologist Benjamin Libet.

Question 5

What was the primary purpose of Libet’s study from 1983?

Answer 5

To explore the causal relationship between brain activity, conscious intention or ‘urge’ to move, and action.

Question 6

What are some clinical disorders mentioned that have implications for our understanding of free will?

Answer 6

Tourette syndrome, alien hand syndrome, and schizophrenia.

Question 7

How is free will linked to the legal system?

Answer 7

Traditionally, only actions that are freely-willed are seen as deserving credit or blame. Acting without conscious intention generally exempts one from liability in criminal law.

Question 8

What is the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA)?

Answer 8

The SMA is a part of the primary cerebral cortex that contributes to the control of movement. It is located on the midline surface of the hemisphere, just in front of the primary motor cortex.

Question 9

What kind of activity does the Readiness Potential reflect?

Answer 9

It reflects causal and subconscious neuronal planning and preparation for movement.

Question 10

How did Libet measure the time of conscious intention in his experiments?

Answer 10

Libet used a special clock with a rapidly rotating dot, known as a ‘Libet clock’, to determine when subjects felt the intention or urge to move.

Question 11

Which area of the brain is closely associated with the Readiness Potential?

Answer 11

The Readiness Potential is closely associated with the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA).

Question 12

Complete the sentence: Libet’s results showed that the unconscious brain activity leading up to a subject’s movement began approximately ___ before the subject was aware of their own conscious intention to move.

Answer 12

Half a second.

Question 13

What role does the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) play in movement control?

Answer 13

The SMA contributes to the control of movements that are internally generated rather than triggered by external sensory events and also controls sequences of movements.

Question 14

Complete the sentence: The RP is measured using ___ and is recorded from frontal electrodes manded over motor areas of the brain.

Answer 14

Scalp EEG.

Question 15

What method did Libet use to measure the time of conscious intention in his subjects?

Answer 15

Libet used a special clock with a rapidly rotating dot, known as a ‘Libet clock,’ to determine when subjects felt the intention or urge to move.

Question 16

What is the position of social psychologist Daniel Wegner regarding free will?

Answer 16

Daniel Wegner argued that brain events cause intention and action, whereas conscious intention itself may not cause action.

Question 17

What is the controversy surrounding Libet’s findings?

Answer 17

The controversy is that Libet’s findings seem to argue against the notion of free will, suggesting that both our conscious will and subsequent actions are caused by prior neural activity.

Question 17

What is the key challenge in the research and experimental work on the topic of free will?

Answer 17

A key challenge is that unambiguous tests of introspective access are difficult to achieve.

Question 18

What did a 1991 study by Fried and colleagues find regarding the experience of an ‘urge’ to move?

Answer 18

The study found that electrical stimulation of the supplementary motor area elicited limb movements and also a preliminary sensation or ‘urge to move’ in patients with intractable epilepsy.

Question 19

What is Tourette syndrome?

Answer 19

It is a neural developmental disorder characterized by involuntary or semi-voluntary movements and utterances known as ‘tics.’

Question 20

Explain Alien Hand Syndrome.

Answer 20

In this syndrome, the affected individual feels that one of their hands has its own will, showing observable involuntary movements. This can result from damage to the corpus callosum.

Question 21

How do schizophrenia patients experience free will?

Answer 21

Patients with schizophrenia may experience delusions of their limbs being controlled by an external force or presence.

Question 22

What do ‘mens rea’ and ‘actus reus’ mean in the context of criminal law?

Answer 22

‘Mens rea’ refers to ‘guilty mind’ or conscious intention, and ‘actus reus’ refers to ‘guilty act’ or the physical action of committing a crime.

“Mind & Act: Mens Rea Thinks, Actus Reus Does!”

Question 23

What is the current understanding of how self-initiated behavior and free will are encoded in the human brain?

Answer 23

The understanding remains elusive and poorly understood but is considered critical for how human societies and cultures operate.

Question 24

What is the role of ‘mens rea’ and ‘actus reus’ in criminal liability?

Answer 24

To be found guilty, there must be culpability or blameworthiness in both thought (‘mens rea’) and action (‘actus reus’).

Question 25

In the German study, how did participants report the time at which they felt the urge to move? Instead of using the Libet clock….

Answer 25

participants used a letter stream to report the time they first felt the urge to press one of the buttons.

Question 26

What is considered integral to most criminal justice systems?

Answer 26

Conscious intention, or ‘mens rea,’ is considered integral. It must precede or accompany the physical action for a defendant to be judged guilty.

Question 27

What is the standard neurological explanation for Alien Hand Syndrome?

Answer 27

The explanation is that the corpus callosum enables communication between both brain hemispheres before and during normal voluntary movement. Damage affects this interhemispheric communication.

“Alien Hand: Callosum Cut, Hemispheres Mute!”

Here, “Alien Hand” refers to the syndrome itself. “Callosum Cut” encapsulates the damage to the corpus callosum. “Hemispheres Mute” highlights that the damage affects the communication between the brain’s hemispheres, leading to the symptoms of the syndrome.

Question 28

How are clinical conditions like Tourette syndrome and Alien Hand Syndrome relevant to the study of free will?

Answer 28

They provide unique insights into how humans experience free will and highlight how different brain mechanisms may influence our sense of free will.

Question 29

How is the corpus callosum related to Alien Hand Syndrome?

Answer 29

Damage to the corpus callosum can result in Alien Hand Syndrome. This nerve tract connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres, enabling communication between them.

Question 30

What are premonitory sensations in the context of Tourette syndrome?

Answer 30

These are sensations that are only relieved after the tic has been executed, often described as a strong urge before a tic, similar to the feeling before needing to sneeze.

“Tourette’s Sneeze: Urge Before Burst!”