Cited by 930Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesEthics in Business and Education

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The neural basis of human moral cognition

Moll, Jorge, Zahn, Roland, de Oliveira-Souza, Ricardo, Krueger, Frank, Grafman, Jordan·2005·Nature Reviews Neuroscience

DOI 10.1038/nrn1768

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Abstract

Moral cognitive neuroscience is an emerging field of research that focuses on the neural basis of uniquely human forms of social cognition and behaviour. Recent functional imaging and clinical evidence indicates that a remarkably consistent network of brain regions is involved in moral cognition. These findings are fostering new interpretations of social behavioural impairments in patients with brain dysfunction, and require new approaches to enable us to understand the complex links between individuals and society. Here, we propose a cognitive neuroscience view of how cultural and context-dependent knowledge, semantic social knowledge and motivational states can be integrated to explain complex aspects of human moral cognition.

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“Moral reasoning, for example, often integrates both types of information to solve complex problems [106,107].”
Background
Differential recruitment of theory of mind brain network across three tasks: An independent component analysis
Thye, M. D., Ammons, C. J., Murdaugh, D. L., & Kana, R. K. (2018) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2018.03.041 · Cited by 27
The neural basis of conceptual–emotional integration and its role in major depressive disorder
Green, S., Lambon Ralph, M. A., Moll, J., Zakrzewski, J., Deakin, J. F. W., Grafman, J., & Zahn, R. (2013) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2013.810171 · Cited by 24
Self-citation
“Out of Sight, Out of Mind?”: The Role of Physical Stressors, Cognitive Appraisal, and Positive Emotions in Employees’ Health
Kozusznik, M. W., Silla, J. M. P., Soriano, A., & Escudero, M. N. (2017) · Environment and Behavior · doi:10.1177/0013916517691323 · Cited by 27
Post-conventional moral reasoning is associated with increased ventral striatal activity at rest and during task
Fang, Z., Jung, W. H., Korczykowski, M., Luo, L., Prehn, K., Xu, S., Detre, J. A., Kable, J. W., Robertson, D. C., & Rao, H. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07115-w · Cited by 28
Neuroscience, moral reasoning, and the law
Knabb, J. J., Welsh, R. K., Ziebell, J. G., & Reimer, K. S. (2009) · Behavioral Sciences & the Law · doi:10.1002/bsl.854 · Cited by 26
“For example, social perceptual features are gathered from facial expression, body posture, and gestures (Moll et al., 2005b).”
BackgroundInfluential
On the Nature, Modeling, and Neural Bases of Social Ties
van Winden, F. A. A. M., Stallen, M., & Ridderinkhof, K. R. (2008) · RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) · Cited by 25
Morality in the anthropocene: The perversion of compassion and punishment in the online world
Robertson, C. E., Shariff, A., & Bavel, J. J. V. (2024) · PNAS Nexus · doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae193 · Cited by 28
Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying immoral decisions benefiting self or others
Qu, C., Hu, Y., Tang, Z., Derrington, E. A., & Dreher, J. (2020) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsaa029 · Cited by 23
“Previous studies have indicated a similar role for the vmPFC in moral valuation and decision-making (Moll et al., 2005; Greene, 2014).”
Background
The neural bases for valuing social equality
Aoki, R., Yomogida, Y., & Matsumoto, K. (2014) · Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1016/j.neures.2014.10.020 · Cited by 24
Chapter 11 In the Mind of the Perceiver: Psychological Implications of Moral Conviction
Bauman, C. W., & Skitka, L. J. (2009) · The Psychology of learning and motivation/The psychology of learning and motivation · doi:10.1016/s0079-7421(08)00411-8 · Cited by 26
“…most important, researchers have begun to develop sophisticated theoretical approaches to morality that integrate previously disparate positions on these longstanding debates and explain how they can be incorporated into a single framework (e.g., Krebs, 2008; Moll et al., 2005; Monin et al., 2007).”
Background
Toward an Integrated Science of Morality
Firat, R. B., & McPherson, C. M. (2010) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-6896-8_19 · Cited by 24
Moral reasoning in women with posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood abuse
Nazarov, A., Walaszczyk, V., Frewen, P., Oremus, C., Lanius, R. A., & McKinnon, M. C. (2016) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.3402/ejpt.v7.31028 · Cited by 24
“…dual-process theory (Greene et al., 2001; Greene, Nystrom, Engell, Darley, & Cohen, 2004); event feature emotion complex (EFEC; Moll, Zahn, De Oliveira-Souza, Krueger, & Grafman, 2005)] being recently proposed (see an extensive review of moral cognition frameworks by Moll et al., 2005).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Toward a Theoretical Framework for Organizational Neuroscience
Healey, M. P., & Hodgkinson, G. P. (2015) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/s1479-357120150000007002 · Cited by 23
Virtue Theory for Moral Enhancement
Fabiano, J. (2021) · AJOB Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/21507740.2021.1896598 · Cited by 22
“Moll et al. (2005) see moral cognition as social cognition of a co-operative nature; it relies on an account of the formation of cooperative behavior as a product of social cognition.”
Background
The role of moral utility in decision making: An interdisciplinary framework
Tobler, P. N., Kalis, A., & Kalenscher, T. (2008) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/cabn.8.4.390 · Cited by 27
Emotion and Social Cognition: Lessons from Contemporary Human Neuroanatomy
de Oliveira‐Souza, R., Moll, J., & Grafman, J. H. (2011) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073911402399 · Cited by 22
“Conceivably, at least at the phenomenological level, either mode may be at work depending on the context and behavioral demands imposed by external contingencies (Moll et al., 2005), social imperatives (Haidt, 2003), and organic (Craig, 2002) dispositions.”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Mode of Effective Connectivity within a Putative Neural Network Differentiates Moral Cognitions Related to Care and Justice Ethics
Cáceda, R., James, G. A., Ely, T. D., Snarey, J., & Kilts, C. D. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014730 · Cited by 24
Processing emotional body expressions: state-of-the-art
Enea, V., & Iancu, S. (2015) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2015.1114020 · Cited by 22
Moral Cognition and Moral Emotions
Báez, S., García, A. M., & Santamaría‐García, H. A. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-68421-5_8 · Cited by 23
Neural bases of ingroup altruistic motivation in soccer fans
Bortolini, T., Bado, P., Hoefle, S., Engel, A., Zahn, R., Souza, R. D. O., Dreher, J., & Moll, J. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-15385-7 · Cited by 22
Self-citation
Moral Cognition and Multiple Sclerosis: A Neuropsychological Study
Realmuto, S., Dodich, A., Meli, R., Canessa, N., Ragonese, P., Salemi, G., & Cerami, C. (2018) · Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology · doi:10.1093/arclin/acy047 · Cited by 22
“All the conscious mental processes that allow to transform a given information in order to reach a moral judgment is defined as “moral reasoning” (Moll et al., 2005).”
Background
Polysubstance dependent patients display a more utilitarian profile in moral decision-making than alcohol-dependent patients, depressive patients and controls
Kornreich, C., Brevers, D., Ermer, E., Hanak, C., Verbanck, P., Campanella, S., & Noël, X. (2013) · Drug and Alcohol Dependence · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.03.005 · Cited by 23
Mediating role of job satisfaction, affective well-being, and health in the relationship between indoor environment and absenteeism: Work patterns matter!
Soriano, A., Kozusznik, M. W., Silla, J. M. P., & Mateo-Cecilia, C. (2018) · Work · doi:10.3233/wor-182802 · Cited by 28
“Simultaneously, human cognition and emotion systems interact in important ways [39], and cognition has been found to inﬂuence people’s affectivity [40, 41].”
“Our” food versus “my” food. Investigating the relation between childhood shared food practices and adult prosocial behavior in Belgium
Backer, C. J. S. D., Fisher, M. L., Poels, K., & Ponnet, K. S. (2014) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.09.022 · Cited by 21
Ethical and Regulatory Challenges in Psychophysiology and Neuroscience-Based Technology for Determining Behavior
Shamoo, A. E. (2010) · Accountability in Research · doi:10.1080/08989620903520271 · Cited by 21
“…with specific neuronal action(s) directly responsible for a specific behavior (Wolpe et al., 2005; Greene et al., 2001; Langleben, et al., 2002; Moll et al., 2002, 2005; Heekeren et al., 2003; Kozel et al., 2004, 2008; Young and Koenigs, 2007; deCharms, 2008; Hsu et al., 2008; Itakura et al.,…”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Correction: Harming Ourselves and Defiling Others: What Determines a Moral Domain?
Chakroff, A., Dungan, J. A., & Young, L. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/annotation/38818ce6-1b40-4965-aa64-b7943d2711ed · Cited by 22

Authors: Moll, J., Zahn, R., de Oliveira-Souza, R., Krueger, F., & Grafman, J.
Affiliations: National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author: Grafman, Jordan
ORCID: Moll, Jorge
Zahn, Roland
Grafman, Jordan
Venue: Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2005-10
Volume: 6
Issue: 10
Pages: 799-809
ISSN: 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
1471-0048
DOI: 10.1038/nrn1768
OpenAlex: W1568809335
Cited by: 930
References: 160
Citations by year: 2026: 18 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 52 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 50 · 2014: 76 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 51
FWCI: 2.63
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations: Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion)
FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders: National Institutes of Health
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Ethics in Business and Education
Keywords: moral cognition, neural basis of morality, moral judgment, social cognition, brain dysfunction, cultural knowledge, motivational states, ethical decision-making
MeSH terms: Brain, Cognition, Humans, Morals, Neural Pathways, Neurosciences

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The neural basis of human moral cognition

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