Towards a neuroscience of social interaction

Towards a neuroscience of social interaction
Author: Ulrich Pfeiffer
Publisher: Frontiers E-books
Total Pages: 587
Release:
Genre:
ISBN: 2889191044

The burgeoning field of social neuroscience has begun to illuminate the complex biological bases of human social cognitive abilities. However, in spite of being based on the premise of investigating the neural bases of interacting minds, the majority of studies have focused on studying brains in isolation using paradigms that investigate offline social cognition, i.e. social cognition from a detached observer's point of view, asking study participants to read out the mental states of others without being engaged in interaction with them. Consequently, the neural correlates of real-time social interaction have remained elusive and may —paradoxically— represent the 'dark matter' of social neuroscience. More recently, a growing number of researchers have begun to study online social cognition, i.e. social cognition from a participant's point of view, based on the assumption that there is something fundamentally different when we are actively engaged with others in real-time social interaction as compared to when we merely observe them. Whereas, for offline social cognition, interaction and feedback are merely a way of gathering data about the other person that feeds into processing algorithms 'inside’ the agent, it has been proposed that in online social cognition the knowledge of the other —at least in part— resides in the interaction dynamics ‘between’ the agents. Furthermore being a participant in an ongoing interaction may entail a commitment toward being responsive created by important differences in the motivational foundations of online and offline social cognition. In order to promote the development of the neuroscientific investigation of online social cognition, this Frontiers Research Topic aims at bringing together contributions from researchers in social neuroscience and related fields, whose work involves the study of at least two individuals and sometimes two brains, rather than single individuals and brains responding to a social context. Specifically, this Research Topic will adopt an interdisciplinary perspective on what it is that separates online from offline social cognition and the putative differences in the recruitment of underlying processes and mechanisms. Here, an important focal point will be to address the various roles of social interaction in contributing to and —at times— constituting our awareness of other minds. For this Research Topic, we, therefore, solicit reviews, original research articles, opinion and method papers, which address the investigation of social interaction and go beyond traditional concepts and ways of experimentation in doing so. While focusing on work in the neurosciences, this Research Topic also welcomes contributions in the form of behavioral studies, psychophysiological investigations, methodological innovations, computational approaches, developmental and patient studies. By focusing on cutting-edge research in social neuroscience and related fields, this Frontiers Research Topic will create new insights concerning the neurobiology of social interaction and holds the promise of helping social neuroscience to really go social.

The Neuroscience of Social Interaction

The Neuroscience of Social Interaction
Author: Christopher D. Frith
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2004
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780198529262

"Originating from a theme issue first published by Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, series B."

Social

Social
Author: Matthew D. Lieberman
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2013-10-08
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0307889114

We are profoundly social creatures--more than we know. In Social, renowned psychologist Matthew Lieberman explores groundbreaking research in social neuroscience revealing that our need to connect with other people is even more fundamental, more basic, than our need for food or shelter. Because of this, our brain uses its spare time to learn about the social world--other people and our relation to them. It is believed that we must commit 10,000 hours to master a skill. According to Lieberman, each of us has spent 10,000 hours learning to make sense of people and groups by the time we are ten. Social argues that our need to reach out to and connect with others is a primary driver behind our behavior. We believe that pain and pleasure alone guide our actions. Yet, new research using fMRI--including a great deal of original research conducted by Lieberman and his UCLA lab--shows that our brains react to social pain and pleasure in much the same way as they do to physical pain and pleasure. Fortunately, the brain has evolved sophisticated mechanisms for securing our place in the social world. We have a unique ability to read other people’s minds, to figure out their hopes, fears, and motivations, allowing us to effectively coordinate our lives with one another. And our most private sense of who we are is intimately linked to the important people and groups in our lives. This wiring often leads us to restrain our selfish impulses for the greater good. These mechanisms lead to behavior that might seem irrational, but is really just the result of our deep social wiring and necessary for our success as a species. Based on the latest cutting edge research, the findings in Social have important real-world implications. Our schools and businesses, for example, attempt to minimalize social distractions. But this is exactly the wrong thing to do to encourage engagement and learning, and literally shuts down the social brain, leaving powerful neuro-cognitive resources untapped. The insights revealed in this pioneering book suggest ways to improve learning in schools, make the workplace more productive, and improve our overall well-being.

Foundations in Social Neuroscience

Foundations in Social Neuroscience
Author: John T. Cacioppo
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 1368
Release: 2002
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780262531955

A comprehensive survey of the growing field of social neuroscience.

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Behaviour

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Behaviour
Author: Alexander Easton
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 636
Release: 2004-08-02
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1135424845

The potential for cognitive neuroscience to shed light on social behaviour is increasingly being acknowledged and is set to become an important new approach in the field of psychology. Standing at the vanguard of this development, The Cognitive Neuroscience of Social Behaviour provides a state-of-the-art contribution to a subject still in its infancy. Divided into three parts, the book presents an overview of research into neural substrates of social interactions, the cognitive neuroscience of social cognition and human disorders of social behaviour and cognition.

The Social Neuroscience of Human-animal Interaction

The Social Neuroscience of Human-animal Interaction
Author: Lisa S. Freund
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781433821769

Our relationships with animals, as anyone with a beloved dog or cat knows, can be among the most significant in our lives. But why are we so attached to our pets? What kind of health, developmental, and psychological impacts do animals have on us? And what practical benefits -- for animals and humans alike -- can be gained from a deeper understanding of human-animal interactions? In this volume, a cross-disciplinary group of authors that includes behavioral psychologists, neuroscientists, geneticists, ethicists and veterinarians seek to understand human-animal interactions by applying research in the neurobiology and genetics that underlie human social functioning. Chapters describe the concepts and methodologies that social neuroscientists use to understand human social relationships, functioning, and the social bases of cognition, and apply these to understanding the role of animals in our lives. Authors present evolutionary and developmental perspectives, and weigh the implications of human-animal interactions research for animal welfare. Clinical applications include animal-assisted therapies for people with disabilities, acute or chronic health conditions, and social or emotional difficulties. Clear and accessible, this book is intended for a broad readership that includes clinicians, teachers, and anyone interested in how and why animals affect us the way they do.

The Oxford Handbook of Social Neuroscience

The Oxford Handbook of Social Neuroscience
Author: Jean Decety
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 1124
Release: 2011
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 019534216X

This title marks the emergence of a third broad perspective in neuroscience. This perspective emphasizes the functions that emerge through the coaction and interaction of conspecifics and the commonality and differences across social species and superorganismal structures.

Social Neuroscience

Social Neuroscience
Author: Alexander Todorov
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2011-02-11
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0199724067

The field of social cognitive neuroscience has captured the attention of many researchers during the past ten years. Much of the impetus for this new field came from the development of functional neuroimaging methods that made it possible to unobtrusively measure brain activation over time. Using these methods over the last 30 years has allowed psychologists to move from simple validation questions -- would flashing stimuli activate the visual cortex -- to those about the functional specialization of brain regions-- are there regions in the inferior temporal cortex dedicated to face processing-- to questions that, just a decade ago, would have been considered to be intractable at such a level of analysis. These so-called "intractable" questions are the focus of the chapters in this book, which introduces social cognitive neuroscience research addressing questions of fundamental importance to social psychology: How do we understand and represent other people? How do we represent social groups? How do we regulate our emotions and socially undesirable responses? This book also presents innovative combinations of multiple methodologies, including behavioral experiments, computer modeling, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) experiments, Event-Related Potential (ERP) experiments, and brain lesion studies. It is divided into four sections. The first three sections present the latest research on, respectively, understanding and representing other people, representing social groups, and the interplay of cognition and emotion in social regulation. In the fourth section, contributors step back and consider a range of novel topics that have emerged in the context of social neuroscience research: understanding social exclusion as pain, deconstructing our moral intuitions, understanding cooperative exchanges with other agents, and the effect of aging on brain function and its implications for well-being. Taken together, these chapters provide a rich introduction to an exciting, rapidly developing and expanding field that promises a richer and deeper understanding of the social mind.

The Neuroscience of Human Relationships 2e

The Neuroscience of Human Relationships 2e
Author: Louis J. Cozolino
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 656
Release: 2014-03-24
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0393707822

An exploration of human relationships as understood through basic concepts of interpersonal neurobiology, this revised edition reflects the wealth of social neuroscience research just out, including how mirror neurons, the polyvagal theory, and epigenetics affect the architecture and development of brain systems and, in turn, how we interact with others.

Empathy

Empathy
Author: Jean Decety
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2012
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0262016613

Recent work on empathy theory, research, and applications, by scholars from disciplines ranging from neuroscience to psychoanalysis. There are many reasons for scholars to investigate empathy. Empathy plays a crucial role in human social interaction at all stages of life; it is thought to help motivate positive social behavior, inhibit aggression, and provide the affective and motivational bases for moral development; it is a necessary component of psychotherapy and patient-physician interactions. This volume covers a wide range of topics in empathy theory, research, and applications, helping to integrate perspectives as varied as anthropology and neuroscience. The contributors discuss the evolution of empathy within the mammalian brain and the development of empathy in infants and children; the relationships among empathy, social behavior, compassion, and altruism; the neural underpinnings of empathy; cognitive versus emotional empathy in clinical practice; and the cost of empathy. Taken together, the contributions significantly broaden the interdisciplinary scope of empathy studies, reporting on current knowledge of the evolutionary, social, developmental, cognitive, and neurobiological aspects of empathy and linking this capacity to human communication, including in clinical practice and medical education.