Abstract
The frontal lobes are widely implicated in logical reasoning. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that frontal lobe involvement in reasoning is asymmetric (L>R) and increases with the presence of familiar, meaningful content in the reasoning situation. However, neuroimaging data can only provide sufficiency criteria. To determine the necessity of prefrontal involvement in logical reasoning, we tested 19 patients with focal frontal lobe lesions and 19 age- and education-matched normal controls on the Wason Card Selection Task, while manipulating social knowledge. Patients and controls performed equivalently on the arbitrary rule condition. Normal controls showed the expected improvement in the social knowledge conditions, but frontal lobe patients failed to show this facilitation in performance. Furthermore, left hemisphere patients were more affected than right hemisphere patients, suggesting that frontal lobe involvement in reasoning is asymmetric (L>R) and necessary for reasoning about social situations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 783-790 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Brain |
| Volume | 127 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2004 |
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Keywords
- Frontal lobes
- Reasoning
- Social knowledge
- Wason selection task
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
Cite this
Asymmetrical involvement of frontal lobes in social reasoning. / Goel, Vinod; Shuren, Jeffrey; Sheesley, Laura; Grafman, Jordan.
In: Brain, Vol. 127, No. 4, 04.2004, p. 783-790.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Asymmetrical involvement of frontal lobes in social reasoning
AU - Goel, Vinod
AU - Shuren, Jeffrey
AU - Sheesley, Laura
AU - Grafman, Jordan
PY - 2004/4
Y1 - 2004/4
N2 - The frontal lobes are widely implicated in logical reasoning. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that frontal lobe involvement in reasoning is asymmetric (L>R) and increases with the presence of familiar, meaningful content in the reasoning situation. However, neuroimaging data can only provide sufficiency criteria. To determine the necessity of prefrontal involvement in logical reasoning, we tested 19 patients with focal frontal lobe lesions and 19 age- and education-matched normal controls on the Wason Card Selection Task, while manipulating social knowledge. Patients and controls performed equivalently on the arbitrary rule condition. Normal controls showed the expected improvement in the social knowledge conditions, but frontal lobe patients failed to show this facilitation in performance. Furthermore, left hemisphere patients were more affected than right hemisphere patients, suggesting that frontal lobe involvement in reasoning is asymmetric (L>R) and necessary for reasoning about social situations.
AB - The frontal lobes are widely implicated in logical reasoning. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that frontal lobe involvement in reasoning is asymmetric (L>R) and increases with the presence of familiar, meaningful content in the reasoning situation. However, neuroimaging data can only provide sufficiency criteria. To determine the necessity of prefrontal involvement in logical reasoning, we tested 19 patients with focal frontal lobe lesions and 19 age- and education-matched normal controls on the Wason Card Selection Task, while manipulating social knowledge. Patients and controls performed equivalently on the arbitrary rule condition. Normal controls showed the expected improvement in the social knowledge conditions, but frontal lobe patients failed to show this facilitation in performance. Furthermore, left hemisphere patients were more affected than right hemisphere patients, suggesting that frontal lobe involvement in reasoning is asymmetric (L>R) and necessary for reasoning about social situations.
KW - Frontal lobes
KW - Reasoning
KW - Social knowledge
KW - Wason selection task
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1842785351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=1842785351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/brain/awh086
DO - 10.1093/brain/awh086
M3 - Article
C2 - 14976069
AN - SCOPUS:1842785351
VL - 127
SP - 783
EP - 790
JO - Brain
JF - Brain
SN - 0006-8950
IS - 4
ER -