1. The study examined the neural bases of cognitive conflict during moral judgment using fMRI. It presented participants with personal and impersonal moral dilemmas. 2. For difficult personal dilemmas requiring longer response times, brain regions associated with cognitive control like the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were more active, indicating cognitive conflict. 3. For difficult personal dilemmas where participants made utilitarian judgments, areas in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated with cognitive control were more active, suggesting these regions worked against emotional responses to support utilitarian thinking.