Brain and Machinery of Prejudice
By: Marc Kaufman
When people think about someone they believe is politically or socially similar to them, a particular region of the brain becomes active. But when they think about someone they see as significantly different, another part of the brain lights up, new research indicates.
Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers at Harvard University and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland identified two regions of the brain's medial prefrontal cortex that were stimulated differently by questions designed to reveal how similar, or dissimilar, another person might be.
To read the rest of this article published in the Washington Post Science Notebook, May 22, 2006, click the following link and scroll down to the third article.
This research may have implications for the therapist who is interested in the mechanisms for establishing rapport.