NEUROSCIENCE SCHOLARLY REVIEW

Neuroscience Scholarly Review



Abstract

The field of neuroscience is rapidly accelerating understanding of that most intricate of organs—the brain: as such, it has the potential to fundamentally shift human self-conception. Neuro scienti?c research has been facilitated by the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a means by which the structure of the brain can be depicted, and by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which reveals how this con?guration is used, 'the dynamic electrical ?ux through which the living brain conducts its millisecond by millisecond business'. These non-invasive tools have enabled neuroscientists to study the brain in an unprecedented fashion. Neuroscientists posit a direct correlation between brain structure, brain activity and behaviour; thus, it is apparent why their ?ndings are of interest to the legal system and to criminal justice policy makers. However, the concept of intent, both from the neurosciences and biospsychological perspective, remains vague, inconclusive and unobjective. To date, such curiosity has been most discernible in the United States, though, as will be demonstrated, neuroscience is creeping into both policy and media discourse in England and Wales. This paper presents an account of neuroscience focusing on 'intention' in crimes. In doing so, a vast amount of scholarly literature devoted to the subject is extracted from neuroscience, psychology, criminology and psychiatry journals and books.

Neuroscience Scholarly Review

Introduction

The human behavioural traits are not determined solely by heredity or by environment. The development of virtually all human behavioural traits is the result of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. The causes of aggressive behavior are manifold; attribute the origin or development of such behavior is simply a singular cause against the facts. An operational relationship between intention of crime, and ensuing problem behaviours like tantrums, self-injury, aggression, suggests a link that could enable clinicians to develop more efficient behaviour management strategies for managing or controlling crimes. However, results are often undifferentiated or do not encompass all determinants of the behaviour. Limited information may not provide clinicians with reliable and quantifiable data on which an intervention could be based (McNaughton 2001).

A wide range of research studies associate crime with social and biological dispositions (Markowitsch 2008; Beckman 2004). More specifically, developments in modern neurosciences and biopsychology present the phenomenon of 'intention' as a measurable element to investigate crime. This paper is a scholarly review on neuroscience account of "intention" in crimes.

Discussion

The use of imaging equipment to generate accurate data and pictorial evidence of brain activity during various phases of testing is very innovative. This input and the ensuing results are very beneficial for the further research. At the University of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Liane Young and colleagues have identified an area of ??the brain that is used to make this distinction. This is an area located behind and above the ear, and is named as temporoparietal junction (Beckman 2004). When one blocks the functioning of this brain area, people have aberrant moral judgments. To evaluate the moral judgments of those tested, the researchers use two stories:

In the first scenario, Grace intends to ...