Interpreting Neuroscientific Evidence in the Legal Domain: Do the Stereotypes Come In?

The current article explores the meaning of neuroscientific evidence in the legal domain. It takes a social-psychological perspective to discuss how group-based stereotypes affect legal decision-making critically. Examining how any interpretation is anchored and objectified is interesting as evidence is interpreted in the context. Dominantly, with the ubiquity of neuroscience in different domains, the brain is positioned as an authentic source of nurturing authenticity. It is observed that sometimes unquestionable scientific knowledge may surpass the rationality and intuition of judges. In one way, it is a boon; in another, it is shaping the whole framework of our knowledge system, where knowledge from brain studies reifies our understanding of human actions and thinking.

Critical Psychology and the Brain: Rethinking Free will in the Legal Context.

The article draws from critical psychology to discuss the rising debate on brain determinism and free will in the legal domain. As free will also corresponds to the context and culture, it can have both the public and private space of expressions. The rise of neuroscience and its influence in the legal domain offers a holistic and sociocultural meaning of responsibility. Even one becomes entitled to take free will as a 'necessary illusion' in order to be in the zone of 'moral as well as legal-social life forming activities'. In the criminal justice system free will is not taken as any kind of 'necessary illusion' but the conscious will and action of the person. This further throw light on how the wilful control of any criminal act is a social act and our brain is not separate from our collective will.

Making Sense of Law: Critical Reflection on Neuroscience, Socialization, and Self.

The development of sociotechnical codes by the legal system acts as a marker of good citizens and development of self where social norms matter. In most cases, despite cultural differences, socialization plays an important role in making sense of law. The question is, 'how does law come to mind and what is the role of brain? This question will be dealt keeping the debate on brain determinism and free will critically at the forefront.

Beyond Dehumanized Gender Identity: Critical Reflection on Neuroscience, Power Relationship and Law.

The gender movement comprising feminist and queer group movements addressed various issues of prejudices in the legal domain. This article discusses the question of power in the context of neuroscience, gender, and law. It elaborates on how the stereotypical view corresponding to the mythology and parasitic view prevalent in history was made as fact through discourse construction and scientific appropriations. Thus, identifying the simplistic psychology of one's agency, societal framing of the methods of socialization, and institutionalizing the common sense of inferiority about one's identity including the process of internalization along with the biological inferiority has maintained the gap in gender equality. The article further elaborates how gender and self-image have taken a turn with the voices of social change and critical engagement with the reified gender categories.

Liberating Data: Politics of Reality in Interdisciplinary Social Psychology.

This paper draws attention to the meaning of data, politics and reality in social psychology. Since social psychological data matters, critical reflection on data handling and interpretations expands the horizon of social psychology beyond the cause-effect nexus. Social psychological enterprise is a political field where the role of structure and power give meaning to the data, and hence construct the reality. This can be further situated in the institutions and the dominant paradigm which regulates the structuring of data and interpretations. The current paper debates the politics of data, human agency, and the way data in social psychology has the potential to be liberating and change-oriented.

What if Discipline Is Not Interdisciplinary? The Case of Social Psychology in India.

The present work highlight the missing picture of interdisciplinarity in Indian social psychology from a critical cultural perspective. In India, social psychologists' tried to inculcate the missing picture of 'indigenous perspective' from the cultural vantage point. The idea of this article is to explain the problem with claimed indigenous status without critically handling the reified social categories such as social class, religion, gender, and caste. However, this was handled to some extent in other disciplines but a deeper connection was not observed to be with the social psychology in India. There were divides and differences in the explanation of the same issues and the theoretical and methodological stance of these different disciplines created a further gap in coming up with the meaningful construction.

Note on "History of psychology in India: Problems and prospects".

Discusses the indigenization movement of psychology in India, which attempts to develop a context sensitive discipline that can understand the concept of mind and human behavior from the cultural perspective. It emphasizes the culturally bound aspects of human nature and uses methods to explore the ways in which culture emerges from history. Given the directions of scientific research, it is not absurd to engage with Western theories. Nevertheless, some Indian psychologists have resisted what they consider the intrusion of modern psychology. They have forwarded premises about human nature in the philosophical roots of traditional Indian thought which look tautological and feed back to our oppressive social structures; for example, the patriarchy and caste systems. The scope of social change is limited under the garb of indigenization, unless the movement of indigenization calls for social change. Several points are made, of which Indian psychological approaches should become cognizant to better understand the relevant contexts for social responsibility. In addition, several recommendations are suggested for a new wave of psychological research in India. (PsycINFO Database Record