Moral attitudes and willingness to induce cognitive enhancement and repair with brain stimulation

1 The availability of technological means to enhance and repair human cognitive function raises 2 questions about the perceived morality of their use. In this study, we administered a survey 3 to the public in which subjects were asked to report how willing they would be to enhance 4 and/or repair specific cognitive abilities. We found that subjects were more willing to use tech5 nologies to enhance or repair other people than themselves, and especially to repair functions 6 more “core” to authentic identity in others. Subjects’ ratings of moral acceptability of uses was 7 related to their reported willingness to use brain stimulation. These findings establish a basis 8 to guide moral psychological studies of cognitive modification and social processes that guide 9 attitudes toward and uses of brain stimulation. 10