Download Eagleman Ch 15. Social Cognition

15: Social Cognition
Cognitive Neuroscience
David Eagleman
Jonathan Downar
Chapter Outline
Social Perception
 Social Thinking: Theory of Mind
 Social Feelings: Empathy and Its Many
Components
 Social Emotions, Motivations, and
Behavior
 Neurotransmitters and Social Behavior
 The Social Self

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Social Perception
What’s in a Face?
 Do I Look Like a Liar to You?
 Social Knowledge and the Temporal Pole
 Social Signals and the Superior Temporal
Sulcus

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What’s in a Face?
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What’s in a Face?
There is a significant amount of non-verbal
information communicated by the face.
 The fusiform face area and the ventral
visual stream are important for recognizing
faces.
 The amygdala and insula are important for
quickly recognizing social emotional cues
on faces.
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What’s in a Face?
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Do I Look Like a Liar to You?
We make judgements about other people
based on seeing their face for only 100
msec.
 Faces can be classified by the factors of
trustworthiness and dominance.
 Where a face falls on these scales can be
manipulated by changing the features of
the face.
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Do I Look Like a Liar to You?
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Social Knowledge and the
Temporal Pole
Social knowledge, such as recognizing
celebrities, activates the anterior temporal
pole.
 A part of the right superior anterior
temporal lobe is active when considering
qualities such as “polite” or “honorable”.
 The temporal pole is functionally
connected to the basolateral amygdala.

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Social Knowledge and the
Temporal Pole
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Social Signals and the Superior
Temporal Sulcus
Social intentions are communicated by
gaze direction, posture, and vocalizations.
 The superior temporal sulcus (STS) is
sensitive to gaze direction in others.
 STS is also active for other social cues,
such as posture, facial movements, and
contagious yawning.
 STS is active when recognizing a voice.

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Social Signals and the Superior
Temporal Sulcus
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Social Signals and the Superior
Temporal Sulcus
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Social Thinking: Theory of Mind
What Is Theory of Mind?
 Neural Mechanisms of Theory of Mind
 Mirror Neurons and Theory of Mind
 Disorders of Theory of Mind

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What Is Theory of Mind?
It is the ability to perceive and understand
the mental states of others, and to
recognize that they differ from our own.
 First order theory of mind is the ability to
predict the thoughts of another person.
 Second order theory of mind is
understanding what a third person would
think about the second person’s thoughts.

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What Is Theory of Mind?

The Sally-Anne task is often used to study
theory of mind.
 Sally
places a ball in a basket.
 Anne moves the ball without telling Sally.
 Sally returns and looks for the ball.
 Where will Sally look for the ball?
 After about age 5, children demonstrate
theory of mind by correctly predicting she will
look in the basket.
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What Is Theory of Mind?
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What Is Theory of Mind?

Other species show some components of
theory of mind.
 Perceptual
theory of mind is perceiving social
cues that predict intentions.
 Motivational theory of mind is perceiving
desires and intentions.
 No other species have informational theory of
mind, which is what is tested in the Sally-Anne
task.
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Neural Mechanisms of Theory of
Mind

The network of brain areas important for
theory of mind include
 Medial
prefrontal cortex
 Precuneus
 Posterior cingulate cortex
 Temporoparietal junction
 Superior temporal sulcus
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Neural Mechanisms of Theory of
Mind
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Mirror Neurons and Theory of
Mind
Mirror neurons are active when performing
a particular movement or when observing
another perform the same action.
 These have been observed in area F5 in
monkeys, which connects with the
superior temporal sulcus.

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Mirror Neurons and Theory of
Mind
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Mirror Neurons and Theory of
Mind
Mirror neurons fire when the action cannot
be fully observed.
 They are also activated by the sound
associated with an action.
 These neurons are most active for
purposeful actions.
 In humans, the mirror neuron system is
centered in the ventral premotor cortex.

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Mirror Neurons and Theory of
Mind
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Mirror Neurons and Theory of
Mind

Mirror neurons may provide an anatomical
basis for representing theory of mind.
 There
is an overlap between the theory of
mind network and the location of mirror
neurons.
 But there are also anatomical differences
between the networks.
 Research has hinted that there may be
additional networks of mirror neurons.
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Disorders of Theory of Mind
The theory of mind network is largely
independent of general intelligence.
 Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
have social and communication
impairments and repetitive behaviors.

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Disorders of Theory of Mind
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Disorders of Theory of Mind

In individuals with autism, there are
abnormalities in brain regions associated
with the theory of mind.
 Superior
temporal sulcus has less gray matter
and abnormal patterns of activation during
social cognition tasks.
 There is weaker functional connectivity
between the anterior cingulate and medial
prefrontal cortex.
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Disorders of Theory of Mind
Disorders of theory of mind also are
evident in schizophrenia.
 Individuals with schizophrenia have
reduced gray matter.

 Medial
prefrontal cortex
 Posterior cingulate gyrus
 Superior temporal lobes
 Insula
 Thalamus
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Disorders of Theory of Mind
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Social Feelings: Empathy and Its
Many Components
An Emotional Theory of Mind
 Empathy, Sympathy, and Compassion
 Neural Mechanisms of Emotional Mimicry
and Contagion
 Neural Mechanisms of Empathy,
Sympathy, and Antipathy
 Disorders of Empathy
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An Emotional Theory of Mind
This is the ability to infer the emotional
state of another person.
 Empathy involves generating an
appropriate response to the emotional
state of another.
 Emotional contagion is the tendency of
emotional states to evoke similar emotions
in others.
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An Emotional Theory of Mind
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Empathy, Sympathy, and
Compassion
Empathy includes the emotional state of
the other person as well as one’s own
emotional state.
 Sympathy is consciously sharing the
emotional state of someone else.

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Empathy, Sympathy, and
Compassion
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Neural Mechanisms of Emotional
Mimicry and Contagion

Pupil size is effected by emotional states.
 The
pupil size of an observer mimics the pupil
size of the person they are observing.
 Small changes in pupil size are associated
with changes in activity in the amygdala,
superior temporal sulcus, insula, and anterior
cingulate.
 Activity in limbic regions modulates the
Edinger-Westphal nuclei.
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Neural Mechanisms of Emotional
Mimicry and Contagion
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Neural Mechanisms of Emotional
Mimicry and Contagion
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Neural Mechanisms of Empathy,
Sympathy, and Antipathy

For women in romantic relationships
 Researchers
applied painful stimulation to her
hand.
 This activated primary and secondary
somatosensory cortex and the anterior insula
and anterior cingulate cortex.
 When she observed the stimulation applied to
her partner’s hand, this activated the anterior
insula and anterior cingulate cortex.
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Neural Mechanisms of Empathy,
Sympathy, and Antipathy
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Neural Mechanisms of Empathy,
Sympathy, and Antipathy
Subjects played an investment game with a
stranger, who was either cooperative or
uncooperative.
 Shocks were applied to the stranger.
 The anterior cingulate and insula were
active when observing cooperative players.
 Much less active when observing
uncooperative players.
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Neural Mechanisms of Empathy,
Sympathy, and Antipathy
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Disorders of Empathy
Emotional empathy is the ability to
respond emotionally to other people.
 Cognitive empathy is the ability to
understand the feelings of others.
 Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal
cortex affects cognitive empathy.
 Damage to the ventrolateral prefrontal
cortex affects emotional empathy.
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Disorders of Empathy
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Disorders of Empathy

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
have difficulty with both emotional and
cognitive empathy.
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Disorders of Empathy
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Disorders of Empathy
Individuals who are psychopaths perform
normally on tests of theory of mind and
they recognize the emotions of others.
 They do not show emotional contagion or
emotional empathy.
 Psychopaths have less gray matter in the
ventromedial, orbitofrontal, and frontopolar
cortex.

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Disorders of Empathy
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Social Emotions, Motivations,
and Behavior
Social Emotions from Theory of Mind
 Social Emotions from Social Values
 Social Reward and Social Aversion
 The Anatomy of a Lie

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Social Emotions from Theory of
Mind

When an individual feels guilt or shame
 There
is activity in the posterior and
retrosplenial cingulate cortex.
 There is activity in the temporal pole, superior
temporal sulcus, and anterior insula.
 There is also activity in the ventromedial
prefrontal cortex.
 Activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex is
associated only with guilt.
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Social Emotions from Theory of
Mind
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Social Emotions from Social
Values
People value concepts like kindness and
honor.
 This social valuation is translated into
emotional reactions.
 The anterior temporal lobe is active when
people apply these concepts to evaluate
their own actions or the actions of others.
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Social Emotions from Social
Values
Evaluating one’s own actions activates
ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
 Evaluating another’s actions activates
lateral prefrontal cortex and insula.
 Positive emotions activate the ventral
tegmental area, hypothalamus, septum.
 Negative emotions activate the insula and
orbitofrontal cortex.
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Social Emotions from Social
Values
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Social Reward and Social
Aversion
Social rewards tend to be very powerful.
 Striatal reward circuitry responds to social
rewards as well as primary rewards, such
as food or drink.
 Ostracism and criticism are common
negative reinforcement in many societies.
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Social Reward and Social
Aversion
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Social Reward and Social
Aversion
The medial prefrontal cortex and the
dorsal striatum are active when subjects
consider how others think of them.
 In social anxiety disorder, there is
increased connectivity between the
dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and the
amygdala when the individual is criticized.
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Social Reward and Social
Aversion
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The Anatomy of a Lie
Dishonest subjects have longer reaction
times when lying.
 Dishonest subjects activated additional
brain regions, particularly the dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex, when lying.
 Stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal
cortex can influence deceptive behaviors.

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The Anatomy of a Lie
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Neurotransmitters and Social
Behavior
An Ancient and Fundamental System
 Oxytocin
 Vasopressin

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An Ancient and Fundamental
System
Oxytocin and vasopressin are
neuropeptides that influence social
behaviors.
 Receptors are concentrated in the limbic
system, including the hypothalamus,
amygdala, septum, and hippocampus.
 The distribution of receptors varies
between men and women.
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An Ancient and Fundamental
System
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Oxytocin
This peptide promotes affiliation, pair
bonding, and parenting behaviors.
 In female prairie voles, monogamous
behaiviors depend on oxytocin.
 Oxytocin has prosocial influences.
 It reduces activation in the amygdala while
viewing fearful faces.
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Oxytocin
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Oxytocin
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Vasopressin
This neuropeptide promotes social
dominance and aggression.
 It is important for partner bonding in males.
 Prairie voles are monogamous and have
more vasopressin receptors in the ventral
pallidum.
 In humans, vasopressin biases individuals
towards perceiving social threats.
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Vasopressin
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Vasopressin
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The Social Self
The Wondrous Self-Awareness of the
Human Brain
 Forms of Self-Awareness
 Why Bother with Self-Awareness?
 Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness
 Disorders of Self-Awareness
 Self-Awareness and Social Cognition
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The Wondrous Self-Awareness
of the Human Brain
Self-awareness is mostly a human trait.
 Young children are not self-aware until a
particular point in development.
 Some neurological conditions involve
decreased self-awareness.
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The Wondrous Self-Awareness
of the Human Brain
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Forms of Self-Awareness
Self-awareness seems to be related to
social cognition.
 Reflecting on one’s own thoughts, goals,
or feelings is a form of self-awareness.
 The mirror test is a test for self-awareness
in which you determine if an organism
recognizes that its reflection is really itself.
 Humans and few other species pass.
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Forms of Self-Awareness
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Why Bother with SelfAwareness?
Theory of mind may just be a
consequence of self-awareness.
 There is a survival advantage to being
able to predict or guess what others are
thinking.
 An alternative theory suggests that selfawareness may be a consequence of
theory of mind.

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Neural Correlates of SelfAwareness

Self-reflection activates the temporal
poles, temporoparietal junction,
precuneus, and medial prefrontal cortex.
 Cognitive
self-reflection activates mostly
medial frontopolar cortex.
 Emotional self-reflection activates medial
prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and
ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.
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Neural Correlates of SelfAwareness
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Neural Correlates of SelfAwareness
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Disorders of Self-Awareness

Somatoparaphrenia and anosognosia are
disorders of self-awareness.
 Patients
do not recognize or acknowledge
their own body parts.
 Both are caused by damage to the right
temporoparietal junction and posterior insula.
 Somatoparaphrenia often involves damage to
the right medial prefrontal cortex.
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Disorders of Self-Awareness
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Self-Awareness and Social
Cognition
There is a strong link between selfawareness and social cognition.
 The neural basis of self-awareness
depends on what aspects of the self are
being considered.
 Areas associated with self-awareness
have other functions as well.

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