Social Neuroscience Flashcards
How can we use the brain to measure social behavioural processes?
- It is less concerned with complex cognitive processes and theory
- Applies basic cognitive neuroscience to understand the underlying processes of social behaviours (e.g., stereotyping)
What are the advantages of social neuroscience as a way to measure social behavioural processes?
- Allows for measuring processes before and after behaviour
- No social desirability
- Greater accuracy because we’re measuring the exact physiology behind processes
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?
- Uses magnetic coil to induce voltage in brain tissue
- Newer, non-invasive technique that can be applied to humans
- Used to demonstrate cause and effect -> Can deactivate areas of the cortex, thus clarifying role of specific areas
What is transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS)?
- Where we put electrical currents through the brain
- Electric currents can either be negative (like TMS) or positive (which induces stimulation)
What is brain imaging/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
- Scans the radio-frequency waves emitted by hydrogen atoms when they are subjected to a strong magnetic field
- Gives a detailed structure of the brain but it does not tell you which parts of the brain are necessarily active in the moment
What is Functional MRI (fMRI)?
- Using MRI methodology, fMRI indirectly measures brain activity through changes in blood flow that accompanies neural activity
- Measures activation of brain regions during tasks or after perceiving stimuli
What would you expect to see in an fMRI after there is activity in the brain?
- Increase in oxygen consumption in area of the brain that is active
- There is increased blood flow to the oxygen deficient area
- Wherever this increase is found, we assume that part was active
- BOLD -> Blood Oxygen Level Dependent response
Explain dehumanisation
- Outgroups are not believed to share the basic human physical features that characterise the ingroup
- Information about dehumanised groups processed differently
- The brain does not encode them as human beings
- Ex. a white man would most likely be processed/considered as most ‘human’; seeing homeless people differently than how you see your peers
Explain the Ascent Dehumanisation Scale
- Social groups are rated from 0 (Least Human) to 100 (Most Human)
- Used to measure dehumanisation
- Notable to consider social desirability in this situation
Explain the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) in the brain
- Located in the temporal lobe
- Processing facial information
- Damage causes inability to recognise faces, shapes, objects
- Study showed how this area is activated more when met with ingroup compared to outgroup members
What are the negative effects of dehumanisation?
- Severs the empathetic bonds that people usually feel for one another
- Triggers indifference, callousness, and inattention to others’ pain
- Leads to dislike or hatred of dehumanised group
- Moral justifications/exceptions
How does electroencephalogram (EEG) work?
- Records combined activity from many neurons using electrodes
- Best used to detect changes in emotions, motivation or arousal
What are the limitations in how we observe attitudes through behavioural tasks?
- Limited in the ability to capture processes leading up to behaviour
- Outcomes make assumptions about the underlying processes
What are the limitations in how we observe behaviour through self-reports?
It is limited in assessing sensitive topics because of the element of social desirability
What are the limitations in how we observe behaviour through explicit measures?
Unconscious/implicit biases are not always captured, and there is that assumption of underlying processes
