As a big fan of Edward O. Wilson's theories of sociobiology (though not those who would taint it with racism or genetic absolutism, both of which Wilson detests), I find this very interesting. According to Scientific American today, we may be more genetically predisposed to our political beliefs than previously thought.
Now, at a strictly neurological level, I know very little about this. But the crux of this very general study seems to be:
The task, known as Go/No-Go, is an example of "conflict monitoring," which... "came about as a way to explain how we realize that we need to pay more attention." In this version, subjects became accustomed to pressing the button when they saw an "M," which appeared 80 percent of the time during the trials. Thus, when a "W" cropped up, participants faced a conflict between their trained response and a new stimulus.
Amodio says that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a forebrain region, "serves almost as a barometer for this degree of conflict."
"People who have more sensitive activity in that area,'' he notes, "are more responsive to these cues that say they need to adapt their behavior," reacting more quickly and accurately to the unexpected stimulus. On average, people who described themselves as politically liberal had about 2.5 times the activity in their ACCs and were more sensitive to the "No-Go cue'' than their conservative friends.
I wonder what this says about swing voters and Gravel supporters...