The neurobiology of stereotyping and prejudice

Todd D. Nelson

pp. 349-358

in: David D. Franks, Jonathan H. Turner (eds), Handbook of neurosociology, Berlin, Springer, 2013

Abstract

Recent advances in neuroimaging have allowed researchers to begin to examine the neural substrates of social cognition and behavior. While this research is nascent, researchers have begun applying it toward understanding the areas of the brain associated with prejudice and stereotyping. While some reliable findings have implicated particular brain structures associated with thinking about stereotyped outgroups, the conclusions we can draw from these studies are thus far limited and tempered with the limitations of neuroimaging and the complexity of mapping this onto precise cognition and behaviors. This chapter explores this growing research area, and discusses the advantages and limitations of using neuroimaging to answer questions about social cognition and behavior as it applies to prejudice.