Obedience to authority in the aftermath of a genocide. A social neuroscience study in Rwanda

The aim of the present study was to offer a first investigation of the neuro-cognitive processes, together with individual and social dimensions, that may support resistance to immoral orders. Using a novel experimental approach to study experimentally disobedience, we recruited individuals from the first generation born after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Seventy-two were recruited and tested in Rwanda and 72 were recruited and tested in Belgium. We investigated to what extend the neural response to the pain of others, the sense of agency and the feeling of responsibility are associated with resistance to immoral orders. Results indicated that a higher neural response to the pain of others and a higher feeling of responsibility were associated with more resistance to immoral orders. Results also revealed that Rwandese tested in Belgium disobeyed more frequently to immoral orders than Rwandese tested in Rwanda. Results indicated that the best predictive factor of resistance to immoral orders was a low cultural relationship to authority, thus emphasizing the weight of culture and education on people’s behaviors. The present study opens new paths for interdisciplinary field research dedicated to the study of obedience.