Social Brain Flashcards
What parts of the brain are dedicated to faces?
- facial fusiform area
- occupital face area
Does the OFA only react to faces?
nope, it reacts to bodies and body parts as well bc they’re related stimuli
Is subliminal exposure still significant?
Yes, subliminal exposure to faces (ie, really fast to the point where it doesn’t register) still triggers relevant areas
Why are we so sensitive to social cues?
Its importnat for our evolutionary and cognitive development
What are the most important characteristics we evaluate in a face?
- Trustworthiness
- Dominance
Why do we evaluate trustworthiness and dominance?
Trustworthiness –> helps us evaluate others intentions
Dominance –> helps us evaluate their ability to act on their intentions
in order to survive
Are these generalizations always accurate?
- nope
- they often fall into overgeneralizaions and rely on heuristics
Whats the relationship between rating of trustworthiness and amygdala activation
Inverse correlation
–> faces rated as less trustworthy trigger the amygdala
generally the amygdala reacts more strongly to the perceived intensity of others’ emotions
What type of pattern is activated when we’re socially rejected?
Similar ones to when we’re actively in physical pain (ACC and Insula)
Anterior Cingulate cortex
Emotional aspect of pain, alarm system for distress
Insula
interoceptive awareness, perceive internal physiological states related to body sensations like pain. integrates both physical and mental uncomfort
What type of correlation between participant’s ACC activity ad self-reported social distrss?
positive correlation
–> the more rejected they felt, the more ACC activity
why is our brain so heavily invested in mirroring and understanding others?
bc evolution!! in order to encourage social connectivity for our own health
how do we study empathy?
by showing 2 similar pictures with one having a more painful possibility
What happens during empathy for another’s pain?
the affective but NOT the sensory components of the pain network (ACC and insula) are activated
What is good and bad about sociality?
It promotes wellbeing and social connection but puts us in danger of pain
What happens when we’re socially excluded?
Insula and ACC (afective parts of pain system) activatedW
What happens when social positive feedback?
Pleasurable physical expereinces, largely through amygdala
–> This reinforces our social capacitiesA
Are social interactions important?
Yes, they could be argued to be just as important for our survival as food
–> some argue that our social connectivity has allowed us to be as highly evolved cognitively as we are
What brain system is related to social connectivity despite initially not thought to be so?
DMN –> reflects on social perception and attribution
social brain hypothesis
Based on the correlation between social group size and neocortex size in primates
–> species with larger neocortex sizes tend to maintain higher social groups
–> as social needs developed so did the neocortex
What is the estimate of amount of relationships a human can mantain and what is this called?
Dumbars numer
– 150 stable, personal, organic, face-to-face relatioships
When and how were mirror neurons discovered?
Early 1990s, find while studying a monkey
Where are mirror neurons located in the brain?
Primarily located in motor regions (Premotor cortex, primary motor cortex) but also in social processing areas like the inferior parietal lobe
