Oxytocin selectively increases perceptions of harm for victims but not the desire to punish offenders of criminal offenses.

ABSTRACT: The neuropeptide oxytocin functions as a hormone and neurotransmitter and facilitates complex social cognition and approach behavior. Given that empathy is an essential ingredient for third-party decision-making in institutions of justice, we investigated whether exogenous oxytocin modulates empathy of an unaffected third-party toward offenders and victims of criminal offenses. Healthy male participants received intranasal oxytocin or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subjects design. Participants were given a set of legal vignettes that described an event during which an offender engaged in criminal offenses against victims. As an unaffected third-party, participants were asked to rate those criminal offenses on the degree to which the offender deserved pu

SUBMITTER: Krueger F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3682434 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature