Research programs
Algorithmic Technologies
Information technology has transformed modern life. Computers are everywhere and more than half the adult population worldwide has a smartphone. As these algorithmic devices become ever more integrated into our cognitive practices, at some point they become Technologies of the Extended Mind – essentially functional parts of our minds that reside outside of our physical brains. Increasingly, these technologies are driven by advances in artificial intelligence, with substantial neuroethical implications.
Aguirre A, , Reiner PB, Surden H, Dempsey G, AI Loyalty by Design: A framework for governance of AI. Oxford Handbook on AI Governance (2022). Aguirre A, Dempsey G, Surden H, Reiner PB, AI Loyalty: A New Paradigm for Aligning Stakeholder Interests. IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society 3: 128-137 (2020). Specker Sullivan L, Reiner PB, Digital Wellness and Persuasive Technologies.. Philosophy and Technology. doi.org/10.1007/s13347-019-00376-5 (2019). Nagel SK, Reiner PB, Skillful Use of Technologies of the Extended Mind Illuminate Practical Paths Toward an Ethics of Consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01251 (2018). Reiner PB, Nagel SK, Technologies of the Extended Mind In: Neuroethics: Anticipating the Future, (J. Illes ed.), pp. 108-122 (2017). Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Time to expand the mind. Nature 531:S9 (2016). |
Direct to Consumer Neurotechnologies
A growing ecosystem of neurotechnologies are available to consumers. Our interest in the field began with the dilemma of regulating the home use of tDCS devices, where we have suggested a soft-regulatory approach was most appropriate given the ease and cost of do-it-yourself approaches. As more products have come on the market, supported by well-funded companies large and small, our position shifted, pressing for modest oversight of the direct-to-consumer neurotechnology industry.
Wexler A, Reiner PB. Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Neurotechnologies. Science 363:234-235 (2019).
Wexler A, Reiner PB, Home use of tDCS: from “do-it yourself” to “direct-to-consumer”. in Routledge Handbook of Neuroethics (LSM Johnson & K Rommelfenger, eds) pp. 271-284 (2017).
Cabrera LY, Reiner PB, Understanding public (mis)understanding of tDCS for enhancement, Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience doi:10.3389/fnint.2015.00030 (2015).
Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Buttressing regulation of cognitive enhancement devices with principles of harm reduction, Journal of Law and the Biosciences 1:322-327 doi:10.1093/jlb/lsu018 (2014).
Fitz NS, Reiner PB, The challenge of crafting policy for DIY brain stimulation. Journal of Medical Ethics doi:10.1136/medethics-2013-101458 (June 2013) [See also resultant editorial in Nature 498:271-272].
Wexler A, Reiner PB. Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Neurotechnologies. Science 363:234-235 (2019).
Wexler A, Reiner PB, Home use of tDCS: from “do-it yourself” to “direct-to-consumer”. in Routledge Handbook of Neuroethics (LSM Johnson & K Rommelfenger, eds) pp. 271-284 (2017).
Cabrera LY, Reiner PB, Understanding public (mis)understanding of tDCS for enhancement, Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience doi:10.3389/fnint.2015.00030 (2015).
Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Buttressing regulation of cognitive enhancement devices with principles of harm reduction, Journal of Law and the Biosciences 1:322-327 doi:10.1093/jlb/lsu018 (2014).
Fitz NS, Reiner PB, The challenge of crafting policy for DIY brain stimulation. Journal of Medical Ethics doi:10.1136/medethics-2013-101458 (June 2013) [See also resultant editorial in Nature 498:271-272].
Autonomy
Neuroethical inquiry into the concept of autonomy melds philosophical discourse, neuroscientific insights, and public policy. We have analyzed the conceptual underpinnings of autonomy from the standpoint of how it accords with the known neurobiology of decision-making, applied those insights to the real-world, investigating public perceptions of autonomy violations by ‘nudges’, and identified a new heuristic termed pre-authorization which allows us to endorse influences upon our decision-making without transgressing autonomy. Most recently, we have considered the propriety of precedent autonomy, in particular developing policy for advance requests for Medical Assistance in Dying for dementia patients.
Byram AC, Reiner PB, Disparities in public awareness, practitioner availability, and institutional support contribute to differential rates of MAiD utilization: A natural experiment comparing California and Canada. Mortality (2024).
Byram AC, Wiebe ER, Tremblay-Huet S, Reiner PB, Advance Requests for MAiD in Dementia: Policy Implications from Survey of Canadian Public and MAiD Practitioners. Canadian Health Policy Journal, June (2021).
Niker F, Felsen G, Nagel S, Reiner PB, Autonomy, Evidence-Responsiveness, and the Ethics of Influence, in The Law and Ethics of Freedom of Thought: Neuroscience, Autonomy, and Individual Rights (M Blitz, JC Bublitz, eds), Palgrave-Macmillan (2021)
Specker Sullivan L, Reiner PB, Digital Wellness and Persuasive Technologies. Philosophy and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-019-00376-5 (2019).
Niker F, Reiner PB, and Felsen G, Perceptions of Undue Influence Shed Light on the Folk Conception of Autonomy. Frontiers in Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01400 (2018).
Nagel SK, Hrincu V, Reiner PB, Algorithm anxiety – Do decision-making algorithms pose a threat to autonomy? IEEE Ethics 2016.
Niker F, Reiner PB, and Felsen G, Pre-authorization: A novel decision-making heuristic that may promote autonomy. American Journal of Bioethics 5:27-28 (2016).
Niker F, Reiner PB, Felsen G, Updating our selves: synthesizing philosophical and neurobiological perspectives on incorporating new information into our worldview. Neuroethics DOI 10.1007/s12152-015-9246-3 (2015).
Felsen G, Reiner PB, What can neuroscience contribute to the debate over nudging? Review of Philosophy and Pscyhology 6: 469-479 doi:10.1007/s13164-015-0240-9 (2015).
Felsen G, Reiner PB. Having the capacity for autonomy is insufficient to provide meaningful autonomy, AJOB Neuroscience 4:52–3 (2013).
Felsen G, Castelo N, Reiner PB. Decisional enhancement and autonomy: Public attitudes towards overt and covert nudges, Judgment & Decision Making 8:202-213 (2013).
Nagel, S, Reiner PB, Autonomy support to foster individual’s flourishing. American Journal of Bioethics 13: 36-37 (2013).
Castelo N, Reiner PB, Felsen G. Balancing autonomy and decisional enhancement: an evidence based approach, American Journal of Bioethics 12:30-31 (2012).
Felsen G, Reiner PB. How the neuroscience of decision making informs our conception of autonomy, AJOB Neuroscience 2:3-14 (2011).
Murphy ER, Illes I, Reiner PB. The neuroethics of neuromarketing. J. Consumer Behav. 7: 293–302 (2008).
Byram AC, Reiner PB, Disparities in public awareness, practitioner availability, and institutional support contribute to differential rates of MAiD utilization: A natural experiment comparing California and Canada. Mortality (2024).
Byram AC, Wiebe ER, Tremblay-Huet S, Reiner PB, Advance Requests for MAiD in Dementia: Policy Implications from Survey of Canadian Public and MAiD Practitioners. Canadian Health Policy Journal, June (2021).
Niker F, Felsen G, Nagel S, Reiner PB, Autonomy, Evidence-Responsiveness, and the Ethics of Influence, in The Law and Ethics of Freedom of Thought: Neuroscience, Autonomy, and Individual Rights (M Blitz, JC Bublitz, eds), Palgrave-Macmillan (2021)
Specker Sullivan L, Reiner PB, Digital Wellness and Persuasive Technologies. Philosophy and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-019-00376-5 (2019).
Niker F, Reiner PB, and Felsen G, Perceptions of Undue Influence Shed Light on the Folk Conception of Autonomy. Frontiers in Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01400 (2018).
Nagel SK, Hrincu V, Reiner PB, Algorithm anxiety – Do decision-making algorithms pose a threat to autonomy? IEEE Ethics 2016.
Niker F, Reiner PB, and Felsen G, Pre-authorization: A novel decision-making heuristic that may promote autonomy. American Journal of Bioethics 5:27-28 (2016).
Niker F, Reiner PB, Felsen G, Updating our selves: synthesizing philosophical and neurobiological perspectives on incorporating new information into our worldview. Neuroethics DOI 10.1007/s12152-015-9246-3 (2015).
Felsen G, Reiner PB, What can neuroscience contribute to the debate over nudging? Review of Philosophy and Pscyhology 6: 469-479 doi:10.1007/s13164-015-0240-9 (2015).
Felsen G, Reiner PB. Having the capacity for autonomy is insufficient to provide meaningful autonomy, AJOB Neuroscience 4:52–3 (2013).
Felsen G, Castelo N, Reiner PB. Decisional enhancement and autonomy: Public attitudes towards overt and covert nudges, Judgment & Decision Making 8:202-213 (2013).
Nagel, S, Reiner PB, Autonomy support to foster individual’s flourishing. American Journal of Bioethics 13: 36-37 (2013).
Castelo N, Reiner PB, Felsen G. Balancing autonomy and decisional enhancement: an evidence based approach, American Journal of Bioethics 12:30-31 (2012).
Felsen G, Reiner PB. How the neuroscience of decision making informs our conception of autonomy, AJOB Neuroscience 2:3-14 (2011).
Murphy ER, Illes I, Reiner PB. The neuroethics of neuromarketing. J. Consumer Behav. 7: 293–302 (2008).
Cognitive Enhancement
Our work on the neuroethics of cognitive enhancement exemplifies our quantitative approach to addressing neuroethical issues, a strategy that our research group has been championing for well over a decade. Our body of work in this domain emphasizes using survey techniques to gain insight into attitudes of various ‘publics’, including the attitudes of the general public towards cognitive enhancement use and physicians towards the uncomfortable situation of being asked to prescribe such agents.
Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Time to expand the mind. Nature 531:S9 (2016).
Cabrera LY, Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Empirical support for the moral salience of the therapy-enhancement distinction in the debate over cognitive, affective and social enhancement. Neuroethics 8: 243-256 (2015).
Cabrera LY, Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Reasons for comfort and discomfort with pharmacological enhancement of cognitive, affective, and social domains. Neuroethics 8:93-106 (2015).
Franke, AG, Papenburg C, Schotten E, Reiner PB, Lieb K., Attitudes towards prescribing cognitive enhancers among primary care physicians in Germany, BMC Family Practice15:3 (2014).
Fitz NS, Nadler R, Manogaran P, Chong E, Reiner PB, Public attitudes towards cognitive enhancement, Neuroethics 7:173-188 (2014).
Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Time to expand the mind. Nature 531:S9 (2016).
Cabrera LY, Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Empirical support for the moral salience of the therapy-enhancement distinction in the debate over cognitive, affective and social enhancement. Neuroethics 8: 243-256 (2015).
Cabrera LY, Fitz NS, Reiner PB, Reasons for comfort and discomfort with pharmacological enhancement of cognitive, affective, and social domains. Neuroethics 8:93-106 (2015).
Franke, AG, Papenburg C, Schotten E, Reiner PB, Lieb K., Attitudes towards prescribing cognitive enhancers among primary care physicians in Germany, BMC Family Practice15:3 (2014).
Fitz NS, Nadler R, Manogaran P, Chong E, Reiner PB, Public attitudes towards cognitive enhancement, Neuroethics 7:173-188 (2014).
Neuroessentialism
Holding a worldview which situates the brain as the key organ that provides meaning to our lives is a perspective often termed neuroessentialism: the notion that we are our brains, and that when we think of who we are as beings interacting in the world, the we that we think of primarily resides in our brains. Neuroessentialism challenges traditional views of the constitution of the self, in particular dualistic notions such as ensoulment, but neuroessentialist thinking is also inherently prosocial: displacement of uninformed stigma by the considered understanding that people with addictions and mental illnesses suffer from a change in brain chemistry rather than a defect in character and the humane treatment of criminals all emerge naturally from the neuroessentialist perspective.
Hear Dr. Reiner’s talk on neuroessentialism at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.
Niker F, Reiner PB, Felsen G, Updating our selves: synthesizing philosophical and neurobiological perspectives on incorporating new information into our worldview. Neuroethics DOI 10.1007/s12152-015-9246-3 (2015).
Byram A, Reiner PB, Shifting one’s worldview to neurocentrism may be troubling, but the evidence that this is the cause of maladaptation in DBS patients is lacking, AJOB Neuroscience 5:42-44, (2014)
Reiner PB, The rise of neuroessentialism. In: Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics, J. Illes & B. Sahakian, eds. pp. 161-175 (2011).
Hear Dr. Reiner’s talk on neuroessentialism at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.
Niker F, Reiner PB, Felsen G, Updating our selves: synthesizing philosophical and neurobiological perspectives on incorporating new information into our worldview. Neuroethics DOI 10.1007/s12152-015-9246-3 (2015).
Byram A, Reiner PB, Shifting one’s worldview to neurocentrism may be troubling, but the evidence that this is the cause of maladaptation in DBS patients is lacking, AJOB Neuroscience 5:42-44, (2014)
Reiner PB, The rise of neuroessentialism. In: Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics, J. Illes & B. Sahakian, eds. pp. 161-175 (2011).