L26 - Social Cognition Flashcards
What parts of prefrontal cortex related to social cognition?
Ventral (orbital) and medial part
What are “self-conscious” emotions?
These emotions are experienced when an individual is able to internalize social constructs and evaluate their performance in relation to them
Phineas Gage – Man with a pole through his head
- Lost most of his medial prefrontal cortex and his left orbital cortex
- Lost ability to make accurate and wise social judgements
- Lost all his good qualities (became irresponsible, tactlessness, went out drinking)
- IQ not affected
- Blind in one eye
Phineas Gage – Man with a pole through his head
- Lost most of his medial prefrontal cortex and his left orbital cortex
- Lost ability to make accurate and wise social judgements
- Lost all his good qualities (became irresponsible, tactlessness, went out drinking)
- IQ not affected
- Blind in one eye
Lobotomy – was used to “treat”?
Recommended for curing or ameliorating schizophrenia, depression, homosexuality, childhood behaviour disorders, criminal behaviour and uncontrolled violence
Why was Moniz awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine?
For his discovery of the therapeutic value of prefrontal leucotomy in certain psychoses
Features of “acquired sociopathy” – results of people getting a lobotomy of the prefrontal cortex
- Distractibility
- Emotional lability (Able to change emotions quickly)
- Tactlessness
- A tendency towards outbursts
- Extravertness / impulsiveness
- Slight euphoric states.
Maclean (1990) cites a case of a nurse who, after prefrontal lobotomy, commented that she was no longer able to sympathise with her patients.
People with prefrontal lobotomies have reported that “something inside them has died”, that they “can neither feel real happiness or deep sorrow”
Maclean (1990) cites a case of a nurse who, after prefrontal lobotomy, commented that she was no longer able to sympathise with her patients.
People with prefrontal lobotomies have reported that “something inside them has died”, that they “can neither feel real happiness or deep sorrow”
Animals with prefrontal lesions exhibit abnormalities in temperament, emotion and social behaviour.
Monkeys with lesions of the orbital-ventromedial prefrontal cortex exhibit an often profound indifference to their physical environment and to other monkeys in their social group. In social contexts they are often timid, fearful and withdrawn.
Grooming and all other forms of affiliative behaviour, including maternal behaviour, are diminished and anecdotal evidence suggests that, after frontal lesions, female monkeys become poor sexual partners and bad mothers.
The results of orbital prefrontal lesions on monkeys are variable but most commonly the conclusion is that all emotions appear obtunded (emotions are present but blunt); prefrontal monkeys show a reduction in facial expressiveness, no longer vocalize or otherwise communicate; “the [orbital prefrontal] animal is obviously a social cripple - incapable of social interaction and therefore of securing a place in the social order” – eventually leading to death (Meyers 1978).
Animals with prefrontal lesions exhibit abnormalities in temperament, emotion and social behaviour.
Monkeys with lesions of the orbital-ventromedial prefrontal cortex exhibit an often profound indifference to their physical environment and to other monkeys in their social group. In social contexts they are often timid, fearful and withdrawn.
Grooming and all other forms of affiliative behaviour, including maternal behaviour, are diminished and anecdotal evidence suggests that, after frontal lesions, female monkeys become poor sexual partners and bad mothers.
The results of orbital prefrontal lesions on monkeys are variable but most commonly the conclusion is that all emotions appear obtunded (emotions are present but blunt); prefrontal monkeys show a reduction in facial expressiveness, no longer vocalize or otherwise communicate; “the [orbital prefrontal] animal is obviously a social cripple - incapable of social interaction and therefore of securing a place in the social order” – eventually leading to death (Meyers 1978).
What neural substrates could we expect to mediate social cognition?
• Internalisation and learning of rules
• Linked to affective experiences
The ventral and medial prefrontal cortex, and sub-cortical structures with which it is associated (particularly the medial dorsal thalamus, and the amygdaloid complex) are the main centers for complex social cognition.
The bodily sates associated with emotional experiences are selective activations of the autonomic nervous system, mediated (at least in part) through the amygdala, hypothalamus and brainstem autonomic control centres.
Principal zones of the hypothalamus – the lateral and medial is responsible for _ and the periventricular is responsible for _.
Lateral and medial = behavioural patterns
Periventricular = neurosecretory
Cannon-Bard theory
Stimulus perceived of scary object takes sensory info to brain -> generates cortical activity for fear and generates ANS reaction
James-Lange theory
Stimulus perceived -> brain activates somatic and visceral response -> sensory part of the peripheral NS detect this and goes into brain region to manifest what if feels like
Does the brain construct emotion from information derived from the periphery that is a consequence of autonomic activation?
The somatic marker theory of emotion-based decision making requires that the bodily actions that accompany the autonomic activity in arousal states.
These regions are also areas involved in production of emotional experiences. This we know perfectly well from our own experience; that social situations can evoke all sorts of emotions, from terror to elation.
These regions receive input, directly from the spinal cord and via the medial frontal thalamus from enteroceptors (sensory nerves of the internal organs) and also cutaneous nociceptors, and project to autonomic control centres. These connections mediate the bodily changes that accompany emotional experience and may, through their activation by prefrontal cortex, serve as the driving force behind social compliance.
These regions are also areas involved in production of emotional experiences. This we know perfectly well from our own experience; that social situations can evoke all sorts of emotions, from terror to elation.
