Social Lecture

Question 1

Born to be Social

Answer 1

Twins have interaction in womb. Newborns prefer to look at faces rather than scrambled. Infants recognize antisocial acts and prefer prosocial adults at 8-mo. 18-mo have complex social ruless at 18 mo. Egalitarianism develops between 3-8 yrs.

Question 2

Why social?

Answer 2

Danger - predators and starvation
Advantages - protection, increased quality of life, social learning, mate choice, resource sharing, group intel. Social deprivation can have detrimental effects on brain. Social isolation in rats - disruption to limbic system and mPFC

Question 3

Two key periods of brain expanson

Answer 3

450cc to 10cc from 2 mil to 1.8 mil years ago. Social life/more relationships.
to 1130cc from 600k-200k years ago. Evolution of language?

Question 4

Dunbar’s Number

Answer 4

Brain size constrains size of social network - memory for relationships and skills needed to manage. The number is suggested cognitive limit to stable social relationships. Between 100-230, commonly, 150.

Question 5

PFC

Answer 5

Network size and dominance associated with changes in grey matter in prefrontal cortex.

Question 6

3 theories of large brains

Answer 6

Social intelligence theory - primate cognition for social competition.
Vygotskian Intelligence Theory - communication and learning
Machiavellian Intelligence theory - to outsmart others

Question 7

Superior temporal sulcus (STS) and fusiform gyrus

Answer 7

Process social stimuli

Question 8

Medial PFC

Answer 8

Interpersonal norms and scripts, theory of mind

Question 9

Amygdala

Answer 9

Social emotions and social danger

Question 10

Posterior cingulate cortex

Answer 10

Self-referential processing, social memory

Question 11

Right Temporal Pole

Answer 11

Special role in Theory of Mind, social schemas, context, concepts

Question 12

Temporoparietal junction

Answer 12

Goals, intentions, theory of mind, desires of others.

Question 13

Mirror neuron

Answer 13

Fires both when an animal acts and when animal observes same action performed by another. Area F5. Helps us to understand and learn from others.

Question 14

2 networks involved in social behavior and learning

Answer 14

Mirror Nuron Network - How system

Social Brain/mentalizing Network - Why system - intentions (ToM)

Question 15

Fusiform face area

Answer 15

Activated when seeing faces

Question 16

Theory of mind

Answer 16

Ability to attribute mental states such a beliefs, intents, desires, to oneself and others and to understand that others have different ones.

Question 17

Sally-Ann study

Answer 17

Theory of Mind - to guess another person’s intentions. Autistic children had trouble with this.

Question 18

Simulation theory

Answer 18

Can understand mental states of others on basis of own mental states. More similar I am to you better can simulate your mental state.

Question 19

Similar vs dissimilar mind

Answer 19

The more similarity perceived, the more activity in ventral PFC. The more you disagree, the more activity in dorsal PFC

Question 20

Vicarious reward

Answer 20

To simulate others’ internal state successfully, must deem ourselves similar to target person. The more you think you are similar, the more you enjoy/your brain is activated by seeing them win.

Question 21

Social vs. Monetary Rewards

Answer 21

Dopamine Reward areas common to winning money and social rewards.

Question 22

Social vs Physical pain

Answer 22

Overlap in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula.

Question 23

Prosocial behaviors

Answer 23

Behaviors like empathy and altruism reduce likelihood of social rejection and increase social acceptance.

Question 24

Does brain treat our pain same as another person’s?

Answer 24

Anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex activated by both our own and others’ pain.

Question 25

Envy

Answer 25

When advantaged person has similar self-relevant characteristics. Domain of comparison must be important to self. Striatum dopamine shows that the more you envy someone, the more joy you feel seeing them in pain.