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Mitchell, J. P. (2008)
Social Cognition
How the mind operates in social contexts
Why is Social Cognition an Important Area of Research?
Studies the mechanisms that support the complex ability of one person to understand another person’s internal mental states
Why is Social Cognition an Important Area of Research?
Studies the mechanisms that support the complex ability of one person to understand another person’s internal mental states
One of the central goals of research is to study how we mentalize each other
Mentalization
Cognitive processes which permit one person to make accurate and rapid inferences about the internal states of another person
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)Temporo-parietal junction
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)Temporo-parietal junctionPrecuneus/posterior cingulate
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)Temporo-parietal junctionPrecuneus/posterior cingulateThese are the main 3
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)Temporo-parietal junctionPrecuneus/posterior cingulateAmygdala
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)Temporo-parietal junctionPrecuneus/posterior cingulateAmygdalaSuperior temporal sulcus
What parts of the brain are involved in Mentalization?
Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC)Temporo-parietal junctionPrecuneus/posterior cingulateAmygdalaSuperior temporal sulcusTemporal poles
How do we know any of this?
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
There is controversy in using these techniquesA few questions asked by critics:
-Has neuroscience actually told us anything we could not have figured out with more established measures?
There is controversy in using these techniquesA few questions asked by critics:
-Has neuroscience actually told us anything we could not have figured out with more established measures?
-Are the expenses and complications of neuroimaging techniques justified when they have only produced what appear to be novel observations?
Do social and nonsocial cognition draw on distinct or overlapping processes?Fletcher et al. (1995)
The MPFC activated when reading stories involving social cognition
Do social and nonsocial cognition draw on distinct or overlapping processes?Fletcher et al. (1995)
The MPFC activated when reading stories involving social cognition
Mitchell, Macrae, and Banaji (2004)Social situations encode better because we use
distinct mental processes for social cognition MPFC again
BUT, WAIT!
BUT, WAIT!
Saxe and colleagues (e.g., Saxe and Kanwisher, 2003)Stories involving someone’s erroneous beliefs
(social) and stories involving erroneous physical representations (nonsocial) both activate the right temporo-parietal junction
BUT, WAIT!
Saxe and colleagues (e.g., Saxe and Kanwisher, 2003)Stories involving someone’s erroneous beliefs
(social) and stories involving erroneous physical representations (nonsocial) both activate the right temporo-parietal junction
So, there seems to be some overlap.
How do we mentalize?Self-referencing model
Using our own mental states to inform our own opinion of another person’s mental states
How do we mentalize?Self-referencing model
Using our own mental states to inform our own opinion of another person’s mental states
Rule-based modelUsing a set of social rules to make inferences
about another person’s mental states
ME
Self-referencing model
Self-referencing modelSinger et al. (2004)
The anterior cingulate cortex activates for the person experiencing pain and the person watching
Self-referencing modelSinger et al. (2004)
The anterior cingulate cortex activates for the person experiencing pain and the person watching
Wicker et al. (2003)The subregions of the anterior insula are
activated in the person smelling the foul odor and the person watching the person smelling the foul odor
Primacy of social cognition
Primacy of social cognitionParts of the brain related to social cognition
seem to be discriminated for in the brainMPFC, temporo-parietal junction, and the
precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex
Primacy of social cognitionParts of the brain related to social cognition
seem to be discriminated for in the brainMPFC, temporo-parietal junction, and the
precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex
When we engage in nonsocial tasks, the brain has to actively dampen these areas.
We have VERY social brains
We have VERY social brains
Social cognitive functions seem to be a default mental state
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