Social Cognition Flashcards
Self-Reference Effect
We have a better memory for information processed in relation to ourselves
Why do have this self-reference effect?
-The self is a unique cognitive structure that promotes processing that is distinct to processing other cognitive structures
-We simply have more knowledge about the self which encourages more elaborate coding of information relating to ourselves
Where is there greater activation for self-referential processing?
Medial prefrontal cortex
Sentinel Hypothesis
Our default network of thinking of when we’re “resting” is driven by self-referential thinking. This could be so we have a constant idea of whats going on around us.
What structure is responsible for focusing attention on positive information about the self?
The most ventral portion of the anterior cingulate cortex.
TPJ
Tempoparietal Junction
What is the TPJ involved in?
Self processing and integrating multisensory body-related information which plays a key role in the feeling of embodiment.
Xenomelia
A condition where people experience a lifelong desire for the amputation of one of their limbs.
Reason for xenomelia?
Touch on the undesired limb elicited no response in the right superior parietal lobe, which is where somatosensory, visual and vestibular signals converge and is critical for sensorimotor integration. This suggests that the limb has not been incorporated into their body image and they may not feel ownership of a limb
Empathic accuracy
Refers to a perceivers ability to accurately infer a person’s feelings
Mental State Attribution Theory
We acquire a common psychology of others to infer their thoughts. From our theories of what we know about others past, current situation, culture etc, we infer their mental state.
What lobe is usually involved with social cognition?
The frontal lobe
What regions are used in self referential thinking???!@?!?
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC)
ventromedial Prefrontal cortes (vmPFC)
Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC)
Medial and lateral parietal cortex
Craik and Lockhart’s theory
The depth of processing profoundly affects the storage of information
Information processed in a more meaningful way is remembered better
Why does self-knowledge appear to be distributed and reliant on multiple brain systems?
Damage to the medial temporal lobe can damage somones ability to access episodic memories without impacting other systems for self-knowledge
Default Network
MPFC, Precuneus, Posterior Cingulate Cortex, Retro Splenial Cortex, TPJ, medial temporal lobe and inferior parietal lobule
Information related to self-positive things is focused!?!?
the most ventral part of the anterior cingulate cortex
The anterior cingulate cortex is used in
Discrimination positive and negative information about the self
Patients with damage to the orbitofrontal cortex
Tend to have unrealistically positive self-views along with inappropriate social behaviour.
The orbitofrontal cortex is importan for spontaneous and accurate self-perceptions
What structure is involved with simulating other’s minds
vmPFC
OBE
Out of body experience when the person seems to be awake but sees his body and the world from outside his physical body
What can cause an OBE
By stimulating a region of the right angular gyrus next to the TPJ
Autoscopic Phenomena?
Visual body illusions that affect the whole body
What types of APs are there?
1.OBEs.
2.Autoscopic Hallucinations (you dont feel like you left your body but you see a double of you)
3.Heatoscopy (you see a double of yourself but are unsure of whether you are disembodied or not)
Experience Sharing Theory (simulation theory)
We simulate other people’s situations to infer their thoughts or predict their behaviour
Mental State Attribution Theory
We acquire a common sense of folk psychology and use it to infer the thoughts of others
False-Belief Task
Used to test theory of mind in children
Theory of Mind
The ability to attribute mental states to oneself and to others (mentalising)
Within the default network, MPFC activiation is associated with?
Perception of both self and other people.
The experience sharing theory says this is cos we use the perception of self in the perception of others.
Mirror Neurons
They activate for both perceiving another’s actions and for predicting their actions.
Based on movement, not empathy, emotions
How does the brain know if the activation of mirror neurons is for someone else or you
A subpopulation of neurons respond selectively to other’s movements
What structure is important for disgust?
Insula
What two structures play a role in discriminating between the self and others?!
The right anterior insula (AI)
The mid-anterior cingulate cortex (mACC)
Embodied Simulation
Perceiving anothers state of mind automatically activates the same mental state in the observer perhaps through mirror neurons
What reward areas are activated in males when they witness a cheater in pain
The Ventral Striatum
The Nucleus Accumbens
Two theories about the rTPJ and mPFC in reasoning about others?
- The rTPJ is for specialised in reasoning about the mental states of other people and the mPFC supports broader reasoning about other people
- The mPFC is for reasoning about social tasks and thre rTPJ is inportant for redirecting attention in both social and nonsocial tasks.
The superior temporal sulcus is important for what?
It is useful in identifying head position and gaze direction in social perception of others.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
A group of neurodevelopment disordesr that include autism, Asperger’s syndrome and others.
What regions are involved with ASD?
mPFC, amygdala, FFA, STS, Anterior Insula and the TPJ
