The social brain Flashcards
2 reasons for humans not living in social groups
in transition
psychopathology
adapting brain for social behaviour
brain size increases
neocortex
Dunbar’s number
number of relationships you can maintain
150 for humans - related to brain size
Who deduced the Machiavellian intelligence theory?
Whiten and Byrne 1988
Machiavellian intelligence theory
primates live in hierarchies
position relies on deception and co-operation
innovate and learn from others
reproductive success - genes for higher social intelligence
social intelligence
Intelligence specific to interpersonal relationships
ability to know ones self and others
social judgement, emotional understanding, read others intentions and meaning, self-awareness
domain specific learning vs domain general learning
Domain-specific learning theories - humans learn different types of information differently, and have distinctions within the brain for many of these domains
theory of mind domain specific or general?
specific
TOM
theory that others have thoughts
attribution of thought processes to others to understand and predict their behaviour
acid test of TOM
false belief
eg chocolate in cupboard
Part of brain - TOM
medial PFC
5 main processes in medial PFC
action monitoring self-knowledge person perception mentalising outcome monitoring
false belief vs false acid test
false belief - LTPJ
false photo - RTPJ
Why is TOM more than just inference?
put aside immediate perceptual experience and replace with something more cognitively derived
aware of own thought
inner voice
mental time travel
modelling action-emotion relationships: the social brain areas
STS - action observation, visual network insula - feelings OFC and amygdala posterior cingulate - episodic memory PFC
STS - where are they and what do they fire in response to?
temporal cortex
fire in response to face view and gaze direction
facial gestures
Early action representation in visual/temporal cortex
STS activated by movements of eyes, mouth, hand etc
also by static images of face and body
sensitive to implied motion
stimuli that signals actions of another individual
STS, OFC and amygdala
Who discovered mirror neurons?
Rizzolatti et al 1996
Rizzolatti - mirror neurons, explain
F5 (premotor cortex) and PFG neuron
fire while watching something happen and doing
link up perception and doing
Main mirrors in brain
Inferior frontal gyrus
premotor and motor cortex
TPJ
inferior parietal sulcus
Mirror neurons basic info
code form of action in relationship to goal
multi-modal = fire in response to seeing and doing/feeling
shared experiences eg emotional values
what may mirror neurons allow for?
imitation - copying an action in context of its goal
what may mirror neurons underpin?
imitation
stimulation TOM
joint attention
what problem do echopraxia and echolalia indicate?
execute control not imitation
what is proposed at the origin of abnormal cascade of development?
dysfunction of control of mirror neuron
what does anterior cingulate gyrus respond to?
value of other’s actions
anterior cingulate gyrus receives inputs from where?
action observation network
reward systems eg striatum
internal state evaluation eg amygdala, insula
transmission of pain signals to the brain
up brainstem - thalamus
on to insula, PFC, anterior cingulate
experiencing pain of others
insula
Anterior cingulate
Von Economo (spindle) neurons - where?
in hominids confined to anterior insula, anterior cingulate and PFC
Von Economo (spindle) neurons - what?
adaption for large brain
convergent evolution
rapid information transmission for social behaviour
oxytocin
social hormone from AP
uterine contraction, lactation
oxytocin and autism
deficient?
needed for bonding
receptors in hypothalamus, amygdala and anterior cingulate
small influence on social anxiety and emotional attribution test
3 main group clusters of autism behaviours
reciprocal social interaction
social and emotional communication
restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour
reciprocal social interaction problems
fail to respond to others emotions
lack facial expression and social smiling
no seeking to share
impairments in communications
poor use of social language
inflexibility of language eg echolalia
lack of make believe play
restricted, repetitive stereotyped behaviours
unusual preoccupations
verbal rituals
adherence to routines and rigid habits
motor stereotypies
preverbal symptoms of autism
poor eye contact, lack of directed facial expression, poor joint attention, lack of pretend play
verbal symptoms
poor conversation
lack of empathic gesture
circumscribed interests
main predictor of outcome
IQ
causes of autism
genetic: 64-91%
epigenetics
1st degree relatives broader phenotype
OCD, anxiety, depression, language impairment, careers in computing/mathematics
autism questionnaire
social responsiveness scale
autism epidemic
increased recognition
broader phenotype spectrum
assortive mating
list some theories of autism
TOM executive function male brain - testosterone amygdala theory mirror neurons 5HT, immune, GABA/glutamate
TOM theory in autism
less successful in TOM compared to downsyndrome or younger children
delay in TOM development
Executive function theory
social behaviour variable and places demand on behavioural flexibility
poor performance in reversal learning task
what memory is improved in autism?
semantic
increased and decreased learning - behaviours
increased - simple, subcortical, reward systems
decreased - flexible, goal-directed, cortical mechanisms
