Understanding human nature to reduce conflict: a new field of research which combines psychology, neuroscience and genetics

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17KT0088
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 特設分野
• Research Field: Conflict Studies
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nomura Michio 京都大学, 教育学研究科, 准教授 (60399011)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-07-18 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 攻撃性 / 寛容性 / 偏見 / 文化 / 畏敬の念 / 教育開発プログラム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The psychological form and function of awe differ between two types: positive-awe, which　arises from perceptually aesthetic experiences. 1) The influence of these types of awe on tolerance toward deviators’ behavior were examined using a pre-post design and a scenario task and found that the tolerance of others’ norm violations, while threatening awe did not. 2) Using functional MRI, we found that the experiences of positive- and threat-aw deactivated the left middle temporal gyrus, which suggest that awe　experiences generally involve the schema liberation process. In addition, positive-awe was associated with increased functional　connectivity between the MTG and the anterior/posterior cingulate cortex and threat-awe was associated with increased functional connectivity between the MTG and amygdala, as well as between the amygdala and SMG suggesting that the neural mechanisms underlying the complex psychological processes of awe vary as a function of the type of awe.

Free Research Field

実験心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の心理実験をはじめ、特徴的な位置づけとなる脳や遺伝子の機能、文化との連関の検討は、国際的に注目されている新しい研究アプローチであり、攻撃性や寛容性がどのような生得的な基盤において、どのような心理・環境要因との相互的作用のもとで生ずるのかについて記述が可能となる。本研究の成果は、生物学的基盤をふまえた心理変数による人間の可塑性の観点より、基礎研究としての意義はもちろん，紛争の予防・緩和に関わる攻撃性の理解とその制御，表現による融和にかかわる教育プログラム開発に資するものと期待される。