Social neuroscience and the self
- Created by: Shannon
- Created on: 02-06-16 11:43
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- Social Neuroscience and the Self
- Definition of Neuroscience
- A study of the neural systems involved in perception, socognition, emotion and behaviour using fMRI
- fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging
- Non-invasive technique
- Can be used to measure normal brain activity via changes in blood flow
- Researchers can see which areas of the brain become activated when different tasks are being performed
- Can be used to measure normal brain activity via changes in blood flow
- Non-invasive technique
- fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging
- A study of the neural systems involved in perception, socognition, emotion and behaviour using fMRI
- Anorexia - Foerde et al
- When making choices about which foods to eat
- Women without an ED
- Use parts of the brain for conscious, rational decision making
- Women with an ED
- Neural circuitry associated with control of habitual actions is activated
- Images of high calorie foods activated the neural cicuitry responsible for self control in anorexic women
- Neural circuitry associated with control of habitual actions is activated
- Women without an ED
- When making choices about which foods to eat
- Effects of child abuse and neglect
- Toxic stress changes structure and activity of developing brain
- Causes hypersensitivity to potential signs of danger
- Triggers emotional / aggressive responses
- Diminished self control and cognitive flexibility
- Diminished capacity for empathy
- Empathy is the vicarious, embodied, experience of another person's feelings
- Automatic response rather than a controlled response
- Empathy is the vicarious, embodied, experience of another person's feelings
- Causes hypersensitivity to potential signs of danger
- Toxic stress changes structure and activity of developing brain
- Romanian Orphans
- Extreme deprivation of children in Romanian orphans
- Had underdeveloped and damaged neural circuitry associated with cognition, emotional reactions and empathy
- Children fostered in loving environements before aged 2 showed dramatic reversals in this damage
- Had underdeveloped and damaged neural circuitry associated with cognition, emotional reactions and empathy
- Extreme deprivation of children in Romanian orphans
- Advantages of social neuroscience
- Can study both implicit and explicit psychological processes
- Can overcome the nature vs nurture dualism
- Can study both implicit and explicit psychological processes
- Social Cognition
- Thinking about people involves activation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
- This brain region is larger in humans than other animals
- Thinking about people involves activation of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
- Thinking about other people and about what other people think of us uses:
- Dorsomedial PFC - especially active during adolesence
- Thinking about ourselves (self-awareness, introsepction, AM) uses the Ventral and dorsal anterior mPFC
- Effortful self control uses the ventrolateral PFC
- The mirror-neuron system (MNS)
- Recorded the neural activity occuring when the moneky reached for food
- Why does rejection 'hurt'?
- There is an overlap between the neural regions activated during 'social pain' and those involved in the physical experiences of pain
- Singer et al - can we feel another person's pain
- Witnessing a loved one's pain activated the neural regions associated with the affective experience of pain
- Failure to respond to pain and suffering of others
- Neural networks associated with empathy are less likely to be activated when:
- We think about other people in masses or are represented by numbers
- We perceive other people to be distant from ourselves in terms of time or space
- We think about other people in masses or are represented by numbers
- Neural networks associated with empathy are less likely to be activated when:
- How can some people deliberately inflict pain on others
- We experience less empathy towards outgroup members than ingroup members
- Intergroup empathy gap
- The tendency to respond with more empathy to an ingroup member suffering than an outgroup member suffering
- Dehumanisation
- The tendency to attribute outgroup members with fewer 'human' qualities and emotions than ingroup members
- Intergroup empathy gap
- We experience less empathy towards outgroup members than ingroup members
- Singer et al - Empathic responses to another's pain and perception of fairness
- both sexes witnessing the fait players being shocked has heightened levels of activation in areas of the brain associated with the affective experience of pain
- When witnessing the unfair players being shocked
- Male but not female respondents showed decreased empathetic response and activation in areas of the typically associated with reward
- When witnessing the unfair players being shocked
- both sexes witnessing the fait players being shocked has heightened levels of activation in areas of the brain associated with the affective experience of pain
- fMRI can't distinguish between people who are telling the truth and:
- self-deception: people who believe they are telling the truth
- Suppression: consciously putting thoughts and feelings 'out of your mind'
- Neural markers of a criminal psychopath
- Lack empathy - can be manipulative
- Poor impulse control, possible problems with forward planning and insight
- Lack of fearfulness and anxiety - high levels of risk-taking
- Abnormalities in:
- Amygdala - mediates fear and anxiety // triggers emotional responses, manages threat-detection
- Pre-frontal cortex - regulates self-control, empathy and guilt
- Used for rational judgement and decision making, impulse control
- Abnormalities in:
- Lack of fearfulness and anxiety - high levels of risk-taking
- Poor impulse control, possible problems with forward planning and insight
- Lack empathy - can be manipulative
- Social neuroscience and youth justice
- Actus reus - the physical criminal act
- Mens rea - Knowledge/ intention
- Aware of acts
- Action is under voluntary control
- Aware of possible consequences
- Action is under voluntary control
- Aware of acts
- Mens rea - Knowledge/ intention
- Actus reus - the physical criminal act
- Definition of Neuroscience
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