Social Cognitive Neuroscience PSYC 321 Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What aspect primarily shapes social processes alongside biological constraints?

Oxytocin levels

Cognitive development

Societal factors and culture (correct)

Individual differences

Which brain structure is specifically noted for its role in interpreting social stimuli?

Hippocampus

Fusiform gyrus (correct)

Amygdala

Prefrontal cortex

What is the main argument of the 'YES!' camp in the debate on the social brain?

Social stimuli are processed in a modular manner. (correct)

The social brain functions independently of other brain processes.

Brain size is irrelevant to social cognition.

Social processes are entirely learned through culture.

How does oxytocin affect social behavior according to research?

It enhances trust when the partner is perceived as reliable. Signup and view all the answers

What does the debate on the modularity of the social brain question?

Whether the social brain is distinct from general brain functions. Signup and view all the answers

In terms of learning in social contexts, which factor is crucial for the transfer of skills?

Cognitive explanation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the role of the amygdala in social situations?

It interprets various emotional responses, including fear. Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between society and the brain as presented in the content?

Society shapes the brain, and the brain shapes society. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key feature of mechanisms involved in social behavior as compared to non-social cognition?

They handle stimuli that are more unpredictable. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of learning involves associative pairings of stimuli relevant to social contexts?

Pavlovian conditioning Signup and view all the answers

What role does emotion contagion play in social learning?

It facilitates copying of emotional behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes instrumental learning in a social context from traditional operant conditioning?

Emphasis on social rewards. Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of social learning involves recognizing an agent and understanding their perspective?

Gaze following Signup and view all the answers

What role does oxytocin play in social cognition?

It increases prosocial behavior and supports mindreading. Signup and view all the answers

How does context influence the effects of oxytocin on social cognition?

They are modulated by the specific social context and individual differences. Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by the term 'reductionism' in the context of social cognitive neuroscience?

It refers to the idea that one level of explanation may replace others over time. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of social cognition was an initial research line in the 1970s?

Emotion recognition and social categorization. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement correctly reflects the influence of culture on neural responses?

Social interactions and cultural exposure shape neural responses. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key component in achieving a mechanistic explanation in social cognition?

Understanding the brain's physiological functions. Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant challenge in linking brain mechanisms to social behavior?

The circularity problem concerning love and oxytocin. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best explains the relationship between brain size and socialization?

A larger brain size is primarily to support social interactions. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Course Information

Course: Social Cognitive Neuroscience (PSYC 321)
Semester: Fall 2024
Instructor: Terry Eskenazi
Teaching Assistant: Dila Falay
Email: [email protected] (Instructor)
Meeting time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:00 PM

Materials

Required textbook: The Student's Guide to Social Neuroscience, 2nd edition, by Jamie Ward,Routledge.
All readings and materials are available on KuHub.

Assessments

Two exams: Midterm (35%) and Final (45%)
In-class assignments (15%)
In-class discussions (5%)
Participating in psychology experiments (3% extra credit)
Exam question types: multiple choice, short answer, essay

Tentative Schedule

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Neuroanatomy and neuroscientific methods
Week 3-4: Evolutionary origins of social cognition
Week 5-6: Reading bodies: mirror neurons and action perception
Week 7: Reading faces: face and gaze perception
Week 8: Midterm exam
Week 9-10: Reading faces: face and gaze perception
Week 11-12: Reading minds: theory of mind and autism
Week 13: Reading emotions: empathy and psychopathy
Week 14: Wrap up and Final Exam

Topics

Evolutionary origins of social intelligence and culture
Reading faces
Recognizing and understanding emotional expressions
Following others' gaze behavior
Reading bodies
Perception and understanding of others' actions
Neural correlates (mirror neurons)
Coordination of actions with others
Understanding others
Understanding emotions and empathy
Psychopathy and sociopathy
Understanding others' minds (theory of mind)
Autism

Questions

How do we make sense of others' behaviors?
How do we predict others' behaviors?
How do we interact with others successfully?
How do we understand ourselves?
What makes social cognition different from general cognition?
Is cognition asocial?

First Sparks

Acquired brain damage and social dysfunction
Autism and theory of mind
Brain bases of emotions (e.g., fear and aggression)
Development of social neuroscience as a field

Large brains are for socializing.
Evolution made the brain ready for social interactions.

Mechanisms

Oxytocin: a neuropeptide in the brain, affecting the endocrine system and other brain parts. It's associated with social behaviors like attachment and bonding. Intranasal administration increases prosocial behavior.
Mindreading/mentalizing/theory of mind: ability to interpret others’ mental states.
Neural correlates of mindreading.
Oxytocin modulating activity in neural networks underlying mindreading.

Multi-Level Approach

Oxytocin effects further modulated by context and individual differences.
Oxytocin enhances trust, depending on the perceived reliability of the partner.

Reverse Inferencing

Amygdala response in social situations.
Interpretation: amygdala response implies fear.
Can be tricky because we don't know all processing paths.

Alternative Explanations

Best level of explanation?
Bridging different levels (different measures, time scales)
Cause-effect relationships (brain effects on society, and vice-versa)
Aim for mechanistic explanations of behavior.

Neo-Phrenology

Debate: Is the social brain distinct from other brain functions?
'YES' camp: social brain as specialized module for social stimuli
'NO' camp: social brain mechanisms also used for non-social tasks
Middle ground: certain brain mechanisms (modules) specialized for social behavior because people are unpredictable stimuli.

Learning

Change in behavior through experience.
Increase predictive power
Associative Learning: E-E pairings, classical conditioning (S-S pairings), instrumental learning (R-S mapping).
Social learning: observational learning (places, objects, actions, agents), instrumental learning (social reward), copying behaviors, mirroring, emotion contagion, empathy, getting complex tasks like gaze following, taking others’ perspectives, assessing value of outcomes.

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Description

This quiz assesses your knowledge of key concepts covered in the Social Cognitive Neuroscience course. Topics include neuroanatomy, mirror neurons, and face perception, among others. Prepare to answer various question types, including multiple choice and short answer.