Tainan-based National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) announced recently
that the universities at southern Taiwan will team up to explore human
mind and behavior with the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) technology.
With the technology, which allows researchers to decode brain activity,
scientists may one day be able to read and interpret the inclination of
human behavior.
The study of brain mapping with fMRI will be employed in humanities and
social sciences from legal, economic, psychological, and political
perspectives to explore the relationship between human mind and
behavior, according to College of Social Sciences, NCKU.
Dr. Chih-Chin Ho, NCKU vice president and dean of College of Social
Sciences, said MRI has never been applied to the behavioral science and
NCKU College of Social Sciences has attempted to apply the technology to
verify human behavior.
Behavior analysis and experiments could be helpful in the formulation of
public policy, Ho added.
By the application of fMRI, personal data will be collected, analyzed,
evaluated and filed according to gender, age, educational level,
personal work experience, and even blood type, calligraphy, as well as
living habits more efficiently and precisely than ever, according to Ho.
The application of fMRI to human behavior analysis may be extended to
investigate the differences of brain activities between tax payers and
tax evaders and the findings may help policy makers to detect the
inclinations of a tax evader, added Ho, former minister of finance and a
renowned tax expert.
In addition, the findings may not only assist the government in the
design of fiscal policy and tax collection mechanism but also indirectly
contribute to increasing national revenue.
On the rise of brain and mind sciences, a research lineup among
universities at southern Taiwan, including National Sun Yat-sen
University, National Chung Hsing University, National Chung Cheng
University, China Medical University, Kaohsiung Medical University and
National Changhua University of Education granted by National Science
Council, has set up the first Mind Research and Imaging Center (MRI
Center) at NCKU to promote neuroscience research for social science
researchers in southern Taiwan.
A state-of-the-art 3 Tesla MRI scanner and fMRI devices will be set up
by the summer of 2012 to conduct brain and mental science research,
according to MRI Center.
