RadicalizationExamining how ISIS’s martyrdom appeals affect the brains of potential recruits

Published 31 December 2015

Understanding the reasons why young people are susceptible to recruitment by violent extremist organizations like the ISIS is a formidable undertaking requiring a multidisciplinary approach. An ambitious U Chicago research — the Social and Neurological Construction of Martyrdom Project – will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural pathways through which martyrdom appeals evoke sympathy in the viewer. They aim to uncover exactly what is happening in the brain when an individual is persuaded to change their beliefs. Until now, there has not been a method to study whether it is a message’s intellectual content or emotional impact that resonates with a viewer. By using fMRI, researchers can see what areas of the brain “light up” when specific messages are heard. The project has been awarded $3.4 million by the Defense Department’s Minerva Research Initiative.

Understanding the reasons why young people are susceptible to recruitment by violent extremist organizations, like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), is a formidable undertaking which requires parsing a complex entanglement of social and neurological influences. An ambitious new research study lead by Political Scientist Robert Pape and Neuroscientist Jean Decety plans to take on this problem in an effort to determine exactly how cultures of martyrdom mobilize support for their most violent acts, especially suicide attacks. The results may be powerful tools in preventing future recruitment by these types of organizations — so much so, notes the University of Chicago’s Division of the Social Sciences, that the Department of Defense’s Minerva Research Initiative has selected the project to receive $3.4 million in funding over the next five years. According to Pape, “this project will create a whole new pool of knowledge that will make an enormous contribution in an important policy area. As this new information goes forward, it could well influence policy decisions that will impact our national security.”

“In the past, we have collected many recruitment videos and martyr testimonies, and surveyed various groups around the world to gauge audience reaction and figure out what makes the videos appeal and what doesn’t,” Pape told UChicagoNews. “Until now, there has not been a method to study whether it is a message’s intellectual content or emotional impact that resonates with a viewer.”

“In combination with psychological dispositions, the methodology will enable us to predict whether violent extremist organization appeals will resonate with and influence the receiver,” added Decety, who directs UChicago’s Brain Research Imaging Center.