Chapter 13: Social Cognition Flashcards
(197 cards)
1
Q
refers to how we perceive, interpret, and respond to the thoughts, feelings, and actions of
others
A
Social cognition
2
Q
shapes how we form relationships, recognize intentions, and navigate group dynamics.
- it contributes to our
sense of identity and humanity.
A
Social cognition
3
Q
is widespread throughout animal
kingdom. e.g., primates learn from one another. Penguins huddle to conserve warmth.
A
Social intelligence
4
Q
True or False: Social cognition is widespread across the animal
kingdom.
A
TRUE
5
Q
What do many species use to coordinate behavior and share information?
A
Many species use gaze, posture, and vocalizations to
coordinate behavior and share information.
6
Q
TRUE or FALSE: Primates monitor social hierarchies, interpret
intentions, and even engage in deception.
A
TRUE
7
Q
what is distinct in humans from primates?
A
distinct in humans is the flexibility, scale, and
abstraction of these processes
8
Q
what do we use social cognition to do?
A
to support teaching, storytelling, and cultural norms that bind large groups together.
9
Q
describe the framework for social cognition
A
cues produced by targets -> cues received by perceivers -> experience tutoring and mental state attribution -> inferential accuracy -> adaptive interpersonal outcomes
10
Q
Social cognition encompasses a set of psychological abilities
that support interaction and cooperation, what are these?
A
- Mentalizing
- Self-perception
- Communication
- Empathy
- Social decision-making
11
Q
reflecting on one’s own traits, thoughts, and feelings.
A
Self-perception
12
Q
inferring others’ beliefs, desires, and intentions.
A
Mentalizing
13
Q
interpreting language, tone, and
gesture.
A
Communication
14
Q
sharing and understanding the emotional states of others.
A
Empathy
15
Q
making value-based choices in
group settings.
A
Social decision-making
16
Q
studies how the brain supports social thought, emotion, and behavior.
* It seeks to link neural systems with social functions like
empathy, theory of mind, and decision making
A
Social neuroscience
17
Q
what other disciplines does social neuroscience also draw from?
A
- Sociobiology – how evolution and development shape
brain systems for social behavior. - Social psychology – how individuals think, feel, and act in
social contexts.
18
Q
what tools does social neuroscience use to uncover brain–behavior relationships?
A
electrophysiology, fMRI, lesion studies, and neurostimulation
19
Q
what are all the parts of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) used for social cognition?
A
- Dorsolateral PFC
- Ventrolateral PFC
- Orbitofrontal PFC
- Ventromedial PFC
- Anterior cingulate
- Posterior cingulate
20
Q
what are all the parts of the Parietal cortex used for social cognition?
A
- Medial parietal / precuneus
- Temporoparietal junction
21
Q
what are all the parts of the temporal cortex used for social cognition?
A
- Superior temporal sulcus
- Temporal pole
22
Q
what role in social cognition does the TPJ have?
A
mentalizing
23
Q
what role in social cognition does the mPFC have?
A
mentalizing, empathy
24
Q
what role in social cognition does the Dorsal mPFC have?
A
thinking about others
25
what role in social cognition does the Ventral mPFC/ OFC have?
thinking about self
26
what role in social cognition does the inferior frontal cortex/ vIPFC have?
simulation, empathy
27
Involves representing oneself
as both the observer and the observed.
Self-perception
28
What does self-perception require the awareness of?
awareness of physical traits,
memories, internal states, and personality.
29
to perceive the self, what must the brain do?
must distinguish between self-related and other-related knowledge
30
People tend to better encode and recall information processed in relation to themselves.
self-referential effect
31
what are the two potential reasons for the self-referential effect?
- The self may involve a distinct cognitive structure with dedicated brain regions.
- People have more extensive knowledge about themselves, allowing deeper encoding.
32
Support for neural representations of the self is within ________.
MPFC
33
Self-descriptions rely on what type of knowledge?
Self-descriptions rely on trait-based semantic knowledge rather than episodic memory
34
__________ patients are unable to recall daily events but can accurately describe their own
personality
Amnesic
35
TRUE OR FALSE: reserved self-knowledge does not
generalize to others, such as family members.
TRUE
36
As Self-descriptions rely on trait-based semantic knowledge and not episodic memory, what does this suggest?
a distinct cognitive system
supports stable self-concept independent of autobiographical memory
37
what is the brain like at rest?
it is not idle/off when at rest
38
what is the brain actually doing at rest?
the brain shifts from external focus to introspection and evaluation.
39
what does the default mode network of the brain include?
MPFC, precuneus, PCC, retrosplenial cortex,
TPJ, medial temporal lobe, and inferior parietal lobule
40
what is the default mode network linked to?
linked to memory and self-referential thought.
41
Beyond rest, what does the brain shift to and why?
brain shifts to introspection and social evaluation when external demands are low
42
when is the Default Mode Network active?
active during autobiographical memory, moral reasoning, and evaluating others’ intentions.
43
what does the Default Mode Network support?
DMN supports imagining the self in hypothetical or future scenarios, not just self-reflection.
44
People often hold unrealistically positive views of themselves.
- Over half rate themselves as above average in intelligence, looks, and other traits.
Biased Self-Perception
45
More than ______ of professors believe they are better
than average at their job
90%
46
what do people with biased self-perception believe?
People expect more positive life events for themselves and fewer negative ones compared to
others.
47
Activity in ventral anterior cingulate
cortex increases when?
judging positive versus negative self-
descriptive traits
48
when is the ventral anterior cingulate
cortex more active?
when imagining positive future events
compared to negative ones.
49
helps distinguish and prioritize positive self-related information
ventral anterior cingulate
cortex
50
what is accurate self-insight is essential for?
for following social norms and maintaining relationships
51
Patients with orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)
damage display what type of behavior?
display overly positive self-views and
socially inappropriate behavior
52
Patients with orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)
damage often fail to recognize what?
fail to recognize social missteps in
the moment but express embarrassment when reviewing their behavior later
53
This pattern of OFC damage is not seen in patients with lateral PFC damage. what does this suggest?
suggests a functional
dissociation between medial and lateral
prefrontal regions.
54
what contributes to predicting future
emotional and mental states?
vmPFC/OFC
55
as the vmPFC/OFC contributes to predicting future emotional and mental states, what does this involve?
involves simulating how a future
experience will feel based on past experiences.
56
fMRI shows mPFC activation when?
imagining one’s own future reactions in novel situations.
57
Patients with vmPFC damage show?
inconsistent preferences and poor affective forecasting.
58
this pattern of vmPFC damage is not seen with lateral PFC damage, what does this highlight?
a functional dissociation
59
Includes awareness of bodily attributes,
linking sensory-motor experience to social cognition.
Self-knowledge
60
integrates sensory signals to support the experience of embodiment
Temporoparietal junction (TPJ)
61
______________ TPJ stimulation induces vestibular sensations.
Low-level
62
______________ TPJ stimulation can trigger out-of-body experiences.
High-level
63
TMS to TPJ disrupts what?
mental rotation of one’s body
64
TMS to posterior parietal cortex disrupts what?
rotation of external objects
65
Breakdowns in integrating visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive input can lead to ___________________.
disembodiment
66
Seeing one’s own body in external space, as if reflected in a mirror.
* Unlike out-of-body experience, self-location remains within the physical body.
* Linked to damage in right parieto-occipital or right temporo-occipital cortex.
Autoscopy
67
Seeing a double of oneself that can act independently and interact.
* Creates a sense of a doppelgänger.
* Linked to damage in left temporoparietal cortex.
Heautoscopy
68
Distortions in body perception can arise from disrupted processing in regions supporting what?
somatosensory integration
69
integrates visual, vestibular, and somatosensory input.
superior parietal lobule (SPL)
70
Dysfunction of the superior parietal lobule (SPL) can lead to ________________.
xenomelia
71
a condition where a person feels that a limb does not belong to their body.
xenomelia
72
feelings or sensations, including pain, that an individual experiences in a limb that has been amputated or is otherwise missing, such as due to congenital conditions
phantom limb sensations
73
After amputation, nearby sensory areas may become hyperactive, contributing to what?
phantom limb sensations
74
Perceptual phenomenon that demonstrates how sensory information
and visual input can manipulate one's sense of body ownership
The Rubber Hand Illusion
75
Since we cannot directly access others’ thoughts or feelings, what do we do instead?
we infer their mental states from external cues like facial expressions, gestures, and speech
76
what are the two theories understanding Other Minds?
Mental State Attribution Theory (Theory Theory)
Experience Sharing Theory (Simulation Theory)
77
we infer others’ states using past experiences and social knowledge, forming and updating hypotheses over time.
Mental State Attribution Theory (Theory Theory)
78
we simulate others’ actions or emotions within our own minds, using our experience as a model to understand theirs.
Experience Sharing Theory (Simulation Theory)
79
is the ability to infer others’ mental states and recognize they may differ from our own
Theory of mind
80
what are the Levels of complexity?
first and second order of mind
81
Predicting another person’s thoughts, beliefs, or desires
First-order theory of mind
82
Understanding what one person thinks about another person’s thoughts.
Second-order theory of mind
83
Development progresses from first- to second-order reasoning when?
as cognitive and emotional
capacities mature.
84
what is the Development of Theory of Mind?
* Theory of mind develops gradually and shapes how children interpret others’
thoughts and actions.
* Infants can mimic facial expressions within the first hour of life, laying a foundation for social understanding.
* Language skills, cultural values, and social environment influence the pace of ToM development.
* Children from interdependent cultures often show earlier ToM than those from
individualistic cultures.
85
is critical for accurate self-insight and social appropriateness.
OFC
86
in the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind, what happens by 6 months of age?
Infants distinguish intentional from accidental actions.
87
in the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind, what happens by 12 months of age?
Begin recognizing others may have different perspectives
88
in the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind, what happens by 3-4 years of age?
Understand that others can see the world from different physical viewpoints.
89
in the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind, what happens by 5-6 years of age?
Recognize that beliefs can differ across individuals.
90
in the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind, what happens by 6-7 years of age?
Understand that language can express deeper intentions beyond literal meaning.
91
in the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind, what happens by 9-11 years of age?
Track multiple mental states in complex social situations.
92
what does the Developmental Progression of Theory of Mind reflect?
This progression reflects growing sophistication in social
cognition
93
what is the Sally-Anne task?
The Sally-Anne task evaluates the ability to represent
another person’s belief, even when it conflicts with reality.
* Sally places a marble in a basket and leaves the room.
While she is gone, Anne moves the marble to a drawer.
* Participants are asked where Sally will look for the marble
when she returns.
* To answer correctly, one must recognize that Sally holds a
false belief - she still thinks the marble is in the basket.
94
what does success of the Sally-Anne task show?
Success on this task shows an understanding that others
can have mental states that differ from one’s own
95
what is the evidence for Early Theory of Mind?
* Modified tasks show infants can track others’ perspectives and
knowledge states.
* At 12 months, infants understand an adult’s goal and engage in joint attention by pointing to an object’s location only if the adult is unaware.
* Some propose that others’ beliefs are computed automatically when another person is present.
* Nonetheless, most research shows that false belief understanding continues to develop across childhood.
96
what does theory of mind failures may reflect?
task difficulty rather than
absence of ability.
97
Inferring others’ mental states engages which parts of the brain?
MPFC, TPJ, STS, and temporal poles
98
Dorsal MPFC shows greater activation when?
forming impressions of people than during non-social tasks
99
the activation of the Dorsal MPFC reflects what?
reflects perspective-taking
and drawing on one’s own experiences.
100
MPFC activity is selective for ?
reasoning about living beings.
101
__________ plays a key role
in inferring others’ mental states
The right temporoparietal
junction (rTPJ)
102
rTPJ activity increases during
_____________.
false-belief tasks compared to
control stories about false facts.
103
When is rTPJ more active?
when judging a person’s thoughts or perceptions than when evaluating physical traits or sensations.
104
TRUE OR FALSE: Both rTPJ and MPFC are engaged in theory of mind but contribute differently.
TRUE
105
_________ is critical for tracking others’ beliefs and reorienting attention to relevant social cues
rTPJ
106
Evidence suggests rTPJ includes subregions specialized
for ?
mentalizing and attentional shifts.
107
__________ is broadly involved in forming impressions, interpreting emotions, and integrating internal states and visible traits
MPFC
108
__________ supports reasoning about social interactions and
navigating complex interpersonal dynamics
MPFC
109
The __________________ network
includes the medial prefrontal
cortex (MPFC), temporoparietal
junction (TPJ), precuneus,
posterior cingulate cortex, and
superior temporal sulcus
theory of mind
110
The regions included in the theory of mind network work together to do what?
These regions work together to
represent others’ beliefs, intentions, and emotions
111
The coordinated activity of The regions included in the theory of mind network supports what?
Their coordinated activity supports complex social reasoning and helps us navigate interpersonal situations.
112
Social intentions are conveyed how?
through nonverbal cues like posture, facial expression,
and especially eye gaze.
113
Is key for processing gaze direction and inferring others’ mental states
superior temporal sulcus (STS)
114
STS activity increases when?
viewing faces that shift gaze or when a virtual character makes eye contact or looks at objects
115
what does STS's increased activity suggest?
suggests STS helps track where others are directing attention, offering important social cues.
116
responds to a wide range of social cues, including body posture, facial movement, and voice
superior temporal sulcus (STS)
117
STS activity is higher for what?
speech than non-speech sounds and for observing purposeful versus purposeless actions
118
Dysfunction within STS can result in what?
difficulties in inferring social context from external cues.
119
The brain must interpret meaning of external cues and represent others’ actions. What type of network is involved?
This involves a network of systems that translate observed behavior into internal models of others’ goals and intentions
120
______________ activate both when performing and observing actions, supporting internal simulation
Mirror neurons
121
TRUE OR FALSE: mirror neurons fire even when an action is partially hidden or
implied, aiding inference of intent
TRUE
122
what does the system of mirror neurons may support?
system may support mimicry and contribute to shared experience by mapping others’ actions onto our own motor and emotional systems.
123
Mirror neurons rely on lateral premotor cortex and respond to what type of actions?
observed or performed actions
124
Theory of mind regions include medial prefrontal cortex and support reasoning about
mental states even in absence of _____________.
visible behavior
125
what are the two different routes to social understanding?
one grounded in action, the other in internal inference.
126
what are some critiques to mirror neurons?
* Mirror neurons may not be central to complex social cognition but instead contribute a supporting system.
* Role appears limited to low-level processing, e.g., inferring body movements vs. intentions.
127
___________ involves understanding others’ emotions by simulating their internal states.
Empathy
128
suggests that observing emotion in others triggers shared emotional responses in the observer.
perception–action model
129
__________ links perception to emotion by connecting neurons processing observed behavior to limbic regions.
insula
130
As the insula links perception to emotion, what does this suggest?
supports empathetic accuracy, the ability to intuitively grasp others’ feelings.
131
the insula is activated when?
when experiencing and observing disgust in others
132
Insula activation increases with what?
increases with the intensity of
observed disgust expressions.
133
insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) also respond to what type of pain?
both felt and observed pain
134
Damage to the insula impairs what?
the ability to recognize disgust in facial expressions.
135
the findings of the insula's role in perception and emotions suggest what?
suggest shared neural circuits
support affective resonance with others.
136
involves sharing others’ emotional experiences, such as feeling distress when seeing someone in pain.
Emotional empathy
137
involves understanding others’ emotions without necessarily feeling them.
Cognitive empathy
138
Lesions to ventrolateral prefrontal cortex impair ?
emotional empathy
139
Lesions to ventromedial prefrontal cortex impair ?
Cognitive empathy and theory of mind performance.
140
With lesions to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, what can patients still do?
patients can still recognize others’ emotional expressions.
141
The insula and anterior cingulate show empathy-related activation when?
when observing someone
experience pain.
142
When is the insula and anterior cingulate empathy-related activation reduced?
response is reduced when the person is perceived as unfair.
143
In male participants, watching an unfair person receive pain activated which parts of the brain?
the ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens
144
Stronger activation in the reward areas correlated with what?
with a greater reported desire for revenge.
145
Empathy and reward responses are influenced by what?
group membership
146
Fans of rival sports teams showed ___________________ activation when their team succeeded or the rival failed.
ventral striatum
147
In regards to sports teams, the Insula and ACC activity increased when?
when the favored team lost or the rival succeeded.
148
brain responses in rival sports team tracked with subjective ratings of pleasure or pain and predicted what?
Later willingness to act
aggressively toward rival fans.
149
the findings of the rival teams suggest what?
suggest that group-based emotions can override more generalized empathetic responses
150
Theory of mind abilities are largely independent from what?
general intelligence
151
Deficits in theory of mind have been linked to various clinical conditions, what are some of these conditions?
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Schizophrenia
ADHD
Borderline Personality Disorder
Williams Syndrome
152
difficulty inferring others’ thoughts and intentions.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
153
impaired recognition of emotions and social cues.
Schizophrenia
154
reduced ability to consider others’
perspectives.
ADHD
155
distorted understanding of self and others’ emotions
Borderline Personality Disorder
156
impairments in mental state
reasoning despite strong social drive.
Williams Syndrome
157
refers to a group of neurodevelopmental conditions that vary widely in presentation and severity.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD
158
is associated with genetic and environmental influences that affect brain development, particularly in early life
ASD
159
People with ASD often show reduced activation in regions linked to what?
to theory of mind
160
with ASD, abnormalities in neuronal migration, synaptic organization, and long-range connectivity
contribute to differences in?
social cognition
161
with ASD, Difficulties in social communication may reflect what?
altered processing of mental states, emotional cues, and social attention, not global cognitive deficits.
162
involves early differences in brain development, including abnormal stem cell proliferation and neuronal migration.
ASD
163
In ASD, Structural changes have been observed in cortical
minicolumns, synaptic spines, and the cortical subplate, which supports what?
circuit formation
164
the alterations in ASD contribute to disrupted connectivity
patterns, with frontal _________________ and reduced
long-range and interhemispheric connectivity
hyperconnectivity
165
In ASD, Such changes affect coordination between brain regions involved in what?
in social cognition, language, and self-related processing.
166
TRUE OR FALSE: No single brain region accounts for behaviors
observed in ASD.
TRUE
167
During theory of mind tasks, individuals with ASD show reduced activity in rTPJ, STS, and MPFC, especially when ?
inferring others’ beliefs.
168
Children with ASD often take longer to ________________ and spend less time _______________________.
follow another’s gaze, attending to gaze-cued objects
169
Individuals with __________ show altered functioning of the mirror neuron system
ASD
170
exhibit less automatic mimicry, such as reduced contagious yawning
Individuals with ASD
171
Can imitate familiar actions and people but struggle with unfamiliar or meaningless actions
Individuals with ASD
172
In individuals with ASD, Voluntary imitation is ___________, but spontaneous mimicry is ____________.
preserved, limited
173
Impairment of imitating/ mimicry in individuals with ASD may stem from?
difficulty linking motor acts into action chains, not from reduced responsiveness to observed actions.
174
involves impairments in theory of mind and social reasoning
Schizophrenia
175
With schizophrenia, Patients may struggle to distinguish between what?
between their own thoughts and those of others.
176
Linked to microstructural disruptions in cortico-striatal connections
schizophrenia
177
Have reduced GRAY matter in regions supporting social perception and mentalizing, including MPFC,
cingulate, STS, insula, striatum, and thalamus.
schizophrenia
178
They are complex and often
lack explicit rules.
social interactions
179
helps evaluate context and select
appropriate behavioral responses.
OFC
180
Damage to OFC impairs what?
the use of social knowledge and awareness of subtle cues
181
with OFC damage, patients with schizophrenia may miss what?
relevant context and fail to adjust behavior based on emotional feedback.
182
the Orbitofrontal Cortex's role in social evaluation suggests what?
Suggests OFC is critical for acquiring and updating social knowledge over time.
183
Describe Adapting Behavior to Social Norms
* Awareness of social norms is not enough. Individuals must also
determine how to comply with them.
* Following social rules requires adjusting behavior based on
feedback.
184
Damage to vmPFC or OFC impairs?
the ability to make decisions
based on stimulus value in both certain and uncertain conditions
185
In regard to adapting behavior, the vmPFC or OFC are important for?
are important for learning from negative experiences and adjusting to changing rewards or punishments
186
what are patients with Damage to vmPFC or OFC like?
Patients can recognize a stimulus as rewarding but continue to choose it even after it becomes punishing, indicating deficits in
reversal learning.
187
supports evaluation of the negative consequences of social decisions.
vmPFC
188
in regard to social evaluation, Activity in vmPFC is stronger when?
when individuals assess negative social scenarios compared to positive ones.
189
Patients with vmPFC damage from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) often behave how?
behave in socially inappropriate ways and show limited awareness of consequences.
190
TRUE OR FALSE: FTLD patients tend to rate negative social scenarios as more acceptable than controls do.
TRUE
191
People more easily detect violations of ?
social norms than abstract logic violations, even when the reasoning structure is identical.
192
______________ reasoning is less affected by cognitive load
or developmental age than other types of reasoning
Social contract
193
Since we detect violations of social norms more easily, what does this suggest?
suggests dedicated neural mechanisms for detecting violations in social contexts
194
Describe Patient RM?
with bilateral damage to the OFC,
temporal pole, and amygdala, are impaired in social contract reasoning but show normal performance on other logic tasks.
195
Financial games like the Ultimatum Game reveal how people weigh ____________________________.
fairness and self-interest
196
Imaging studies show DLPFC and insula activation when?
evaluating unfair offers.
197
The ___________ is associated with negative emotional reactions,
such as anger and disgust.
insula
