Mapping Neuroethics and fMRI
Author Information
Author(s): Garnett Alex, Whiteley Louise, Piwowar Heather, Rasmussen Edie, Illes Judy
Primary Institution: National Core for Neuroethics, University of British Columbia
Hypothesis
Does the increasing popularity of fMRI research lead to more discussions about its ethical implications?
Conclusion
The study found that despite the growing interest in fMRI, there is still a lack of substantial discussion on its ethical, legal, and social implications in the literature.
Supporting Evidence
- fMRI research has increased by 39% each year since 2002, but the number of neuroethics publications remains low.
- Only 18 citations of ELSI articles were found in fMRI literature as part of substantive ethics discussions.
- Many fMRI studies only mention informed consent without engaging in deeper ethical discussions.
Takeaway
This study looked at how brain scans and ethics are connected, and found that not many researchers talk about the ethical issues related to brain imaging.
Methodology
The authors used bibliometric methods to analyze citation patterns between fMRI research and discussions of ethical, legal, and social implications.
Potential Biases
There may be a bias in the literature towards not addressing ethical implications due to institutional pressures.
Limitations
The study noted that many articles discussing fMRI and ethics lacked substantial engagement with ethical issues.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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