Chapter 5 - Social Neuroscience Flashcards
Amygdala
A region located deep within the brain in the medial area (toward the center) of the temporal lobes (parallel to the ears). If you could draw a line through your eye sloping toward the back of your head and another line between your two ears, the amygdala would be located at the intersection of these lines. The amygdala is involved in detecting relevant stimuli in our environment and has been implicated in emotional responses.
Automatic process
When a thought, feeling, or behavior occurs with little or no mental effort. Typically, automatic processes are described as involuntary or spontaneous, often resulting from a great deal of practice or repetition.
Cortisol
A hormone made by the adrenal glands, within the cortex. Cortisol helps the body maintain blood pressure and immune function. Cortisol increases when the body is under stress.
Electroencephalogram
A measure of electrical activity generated by the brain’s neurons.
Flight or flight response
The physiological response that occurs in response to a perceived threat, preparing the body for actions needed to deal with the threat.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
A measure of changes in the oxygenation of blood flow as areas in the brain become active.
Functional neuroanatomy
Classifying how regions within the nervous system relate to psychology and behavior.
Hormones
Chemicals released by cells in the brain or body that affect cells in other parts of the brain or body.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
A system that involves the hypothalamus (within the brain), the pituitary gland (within the brain), and the adrenal glands (at the top of the kidneys). This system helps maintain homeostasis (keeping the body’s systems within normal ranges) by regulating digestion, immune function, mood, temperature, and energy use. Through this, the HPA regulates the body’s response to stress and injury.
Ingroup
A social group to which an individual identifies or belongs.
Lesions
Damage or tissue abnormality due, for example, to an injury, surgery, or a vascular problem.
Medial prefrontal cortex
An area of the brain located in the middle of the frontal lobes (at the front of the head), active when people mentalize about the self and others.
Mentalizing
The act of representing the mental states of oneself and others. Mentalizing allows humans to interpret the intentions, beliefs, and emotional states of others.
Neuroendocrinology
The study of how the brain and hormones act in concert to coordinate the physiology of the body.
Outgroup
A social group to which an individual does not identify or belong.
Simulation
Imaginary or real imitation of other people’s behavior or feelings.
Social categorization
The act of mentally classifying someone into a social group (e.g., as female, elderly, a librarian).
Social support
A subjective feeling of psychological or physical comfort provided by family, friends, and others.
Stereotypes
The beliefs or attributes we associate with a specific social group. Stereotyping refers to the act of assuming that because someone is a member of a particular group, he or she possesses the group’s attributes. For example, stereotyping occurs when we assume someone is unemotional just because he is a man, or particularly athletic just because she is African American.
Stress
A threat or challenge to our well-being. Stress can have both a psychological component, which consists of our subjective thoughts and feelings about being threatened or challenged, as well as a physiological component, which consists of our body’s response to the threat or challenge (see “fight or flight response”).
Superior temporal sulcus
The sulcus (a fissure in the surface of the brain) that separates the superior temporal gyrus from the middle temporal gyrus. Located in the temporal lobes (parallel to the ears), it is involved in perception of biological motion or the movement of animate objects.
Sympathetic nervous system
A branch of the autonomic nervous system that controls many of the body’s internal organs. Activity of the SNS generally mobilizes the body’s fight or flight response.
Temporal parietal junction
The area where the temporal lobes (parallel to the ears) and parietal lobes (at the top of the head toward the back) meet. This area is important in mentalizing and distinguishing between the self and others.
