Lecture 13- Social Cognition Flashcards
What is social cognition?
How people process, store, and apply information
about other people and social situations
What are the seven key components for successful human–social interaction according to Molapour et al 2021?
- social perception
- social inferences, such as mentalizing
- social learning
- social signaling through verbal and nonverbal cues
- social drives (e.g. how to increase one’s status);
- determining the social identity of agents, including oneself (involves integrating all information)
- minimizing uncertainty within the current social context by integrating sensory signals and inferences.
What anatomical areas of the brain are key in social cognition?
- Ventromedial PFC, dorsolateral PFC
- Orbitofrontal cortex
- Anterior cingulate cortex
- Posterior cingulate cortex
- Medial parietal cortex
- Superior temporal cortex
What is social inference?
Means understanding others and making predictions about their actions
What is a proposed theory for how we carry out social inference?
Simulation theory – proposes that some aspects of our ability to understand others is based on our ability to mimic their experience - to mentalize and empathize
What type of neuron allows for stimulation theory? Where are they found?
- Mirror neurons: provide link between action and observation of others. Mirror neurons fire when we perform a movement but also when we observe another person doing the same movement. Mirror neurons doing fire when an individual is at rest.
- First described in ventral premotor cortex, but since discovered in a wide range of brain regions
In monkeys what do neurons in the superior temporal sulcus respond to?
- Respond to the sight of actions but not when the individual performs themselves
- This describes a difference in mirror neurons found in different places. Some have more of visual response while others have a motor response.
How might we record information about mirror neurons from humans?
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) applied to either hand or lip area of cortex
- Current passes through wire, activates region below coil. Moving the coil around enables you to work out which area of cortex is associated with the movement of a particular body part.
- For example, if you move the coil to region responsible for hand movement and turn it on the hand should move
What did Michael et al (2014) show using TMS?
-The effect of TMS applied to premotor cortex prior to action recognition
-To do this display image (context slide), after delay show an action video. Then finally show 3 object options that the participant has to choose from according to what is appropriate in the context/ the action shown previously.
-TMS stimulation of lip region impairs recognition of lip video
more than hand and vice versa. This cause disrupting the function of the mirror neurons in perception by stimulating them.
-This means somatotopic regions of PMC play a casual role in action
understanding via mirror activity (they are not just involved in producing actions!)
What is the Faux paus test?
-Told story need to:
1) Detect the faux pas.
Did anyone say something they shouldn’t have said?
2) Understanding the faux pas.
Who said something they shouldn’t have?
3) Understanding the recipient’s mental state
Why should they not have said it?
4) Understanding the speaker’s mental state
Why did he or she say it?
5) Details of story (control question: to make sure that the participant has basic understanding/ cognition)
Found the biggest difference in element 4: understanding the speaker’s mental state. Those with lateral prefrontal lesions and no prefrontal lesions were were roughly even. The individuals with medial prefrontal cortex damage however, were much worse at the task.
What are the neural correlates of social cognition and how were they shown in Hutcherson et al 2015?
- Given an auditory baseline, then social connection for 2 mins (either self or other focused), then auditory baseline again, then neural neutral control for 2 mins, then baseline again. Note: baseline periods= 30 seconds.
- This cycle occurred 3 times
- Found when the social connection was self focused the vmPFC became active while when it was other focused the anterior cingulate gyrus was.
According to Holt-Lundstad (2018) what are the three elements of social connection?
- Structural: the existence of and interconnections among different social relationships and roles
- Functional: functions provided by or perceived to be available because of social relationships
- Quality: the positive and negative aspects of social relationships
In what does social connection appear to be good for our wellbeing?
-Social isolation (poor social connection) is a Modifiable risk factor for dementia
What did Pantell et al (2013) show in terms of mortality and social isolation?
- They followed women over an 18 year period and messaged the percentage that survived across that time
- Found the more isolated you were the more likely you were to die (faster drop off/ steeper downwards line)
How is the percentage of individuals developing dementia over a 3 year period effected by their living status? Why?
-At baseline no participants had dementia
-Percentage with dementia a end of study according to state at baseline: Living with others 6% Living alone 9% Not feeling lonely 6% Feelings of loneliness 13%
-Living alone means far less likely to be socially connected and we no poor social connection is a risk factor for dementia
