The nature of strategic thinking, or the ability to ‘put oneself in another’s shoes,’ has long influenced the domain of international politics — the nuclear realm is no exception. At first glance, actors appear to be defined by significant institutional and cultural variation, such that developing a single framework capable of speaking to the escalation doctrines of each may be unlikely — if not impossible. The team argues otherwise. Namely, they advance a theory capable of speaking to the neural and behavioral underpinnings of all elite decision making in nuclear politics.
In this NSRI IRAD project, funded in August 2021, researchers are using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to explore how biological and neural factors impact elite decision making in nuclear politics. This is the first time fMRI technology is being used to advance inferencing within the nuclear security context.
Research Team
- Principal Investigator: Noelle Troutman, doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Ingrid Haas, NSRI fellow and associate professor of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Rupal Mehta, NSRI fellow and associate professor of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Milestones (as of April 2022)
- Experimental design developed
- IRB approval received
Next Steps
Identifying subjects and pilot testing the fMRI experiment. They will analyze data collected from the neuroimaging process and report the results in an academic journal article for submission. They will also seek to present their experiential design and initial findings to further utilize their experimental design with elite leaders.
