Principles Of Neuroscience Lecture 30 Social Cognition Flashcards
Describe the anatomy of the prefrontal cortex
Two major divisions : orbitofrontal and dorsolateral
Medial prefrontal cortex
Describe the differences between judgements of trustworthiness and facial recognition in terms of areas of brain activation
There a two different regions in the brain
Trustworthiness: amygdala
Facial recognition: inferior temporal gyrus of right temporal cortex
What are the general functions of the prefrontal cortex?
Not sensory, motor behaviours
It is more planning and behavioural
Describe how rules and norms dictate social behaviour, and the plasticity of these
Not adhering to social norms produces negative emotions. Thus, we will adhere to avoid these emotions
The idea of what is socially acceptable changes over the years. Such as gay marriage etc
What are self conscious emotions?
When do they develop?
What do they require?
Embarrassment, guilt, pride, shame, empathy
After about 2 years of age
They require self reference: assessing ones own performance
Why is play important?
During play, children make up rules and have to stick to them. This is important for learning how to interact socially
Why is lying important?
It is an important skill to be able to lie and to be able to detect genuine and fake emotions
What has been very useful for exploring PFC function?
Looking at damage to the PFC
Describe what happened to Phinneus Gage and the result of this injury
He had a spike driven through his prefrontal cortex.
After he recovered he was still able to speak, walk sense things etc. however,
“Gage was no longer gage”
His behaviour become more childish and temperamental. He no longer made long term plans, and he became hedonistic
What is prefrontal lobotomy and leucotomy?
Disconnecting the PFC from the rest of the nervous system by swishing a wire about in there
When did PFC lobotomy die out? Why?
In the 1950s because drugs that have relief for sufferes of mental disease came anout
Describe why it is thought that PFC is a non essential area
Because even if we disconnect it, we can still walk, talk etc
Describe the features of acquired sociopathy seen after PFC lobotomy
Tactlessness Impulsiveness Extrovert ness Outbursts Lack of long term goal making Emotional lability
Describe what is meant by ‘cognitive representation of emotional states are lost’ in PFC lobotomy
When a nurse had a prefrontal lobotomy, she said that she could no longer experience deep sorrow or great happiness
However, she had insight into that fact that she didn’t feel these emotions, and she knew what these emotions were
What sort of behaviour is seen in animals with injury to the PFC?
Timid
Withdrawn
Abnormal temperament and social behaviour
No grooming
“Social cripple” –> ejected from society and found dead and alone
