Social Psychology 499social neuroscience
the study of the relationship between
biological systems and social
Rrocesses and Dehavior.Applying Psychology to Everyday Life
Peeking Inside the Social Brain
- 16 Define social neuroscience.
As scientists develop better techniques for studying the workings of the brain, researchers
in many fields of psychology are able to find the neural bases for human behavior. Social
psychology is no exception, and the study of how our bodies and brains work during social
behavior is called social neuroscience (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1992). In the discussion of
altruism, the temporoparietal junction, or TPJ, was named as one of the areas of the brain
involved in prosocial behavior (Morishima et al., 2012). That research was accomplished
with an fMRI, a brain-scanning technique that allows not only the structure but also the
functioning of the living brain to be examined during various tasks and activities.
to Learning Objective 2.9.
The TPJ, located where the temporal and parietal lobes meet, is also a key neural
structure involved in competitive behavior. Researchers pitted people against either a com-
puter or another person and found that the TPJ is active when the person is trying to
predict the actions of the human opponent but not the computer opponent (Carter et al.,
2012). Research with nonhuman primates highlights the importance of the prefrontal cor-
tex, the area of the brain at the very front of the large frontal lobes. The findings of that
study suggest that primates make decisions about sharing behavior in three different parts
of the prefrontal lobe (Chang et al., 2013). One can only guess that human sharing deci-
sions are at least as complex, if not more so.
What all of these studies (and many, many more) mean is that there are specific
structures and places in our brains for social interactions and decisions. It is import-
ant that we try to understand as much as we can about the “social brain” for many
reasons, but chief among them is gaining an understanding of diseases and disorders
Practice Quiz How much do you remember?
Pick the best answer.
- Prejudice is about ____, while discrimination is about
____.
a. beliefs; perceptions c. behavior; attitudes
b. perceptions; beliefs d. attitudes; behavior - Jewell and Amie became friends while taking an evening class at
the local community college. Jewell was later horrified to find out
that Amie was actually a teacher at the college. Subsequently,
Jewell stopped talking with Amie, thus ending their friendship.
What theory of prejudice and discrimination might this be an
example of?
a. stereotype vulnerability theory
b. in-group/out-group theory
c. realistic conflict theory
d. social cognitive theory - What does the research say about the concept of opposites attract?
a. While it goes against the concept of similarity, it is real, and
research can prove it.
b. Opposites attract is really more an example of proximity,
although studies show that opposites can be and often are
attracted to one another.
c. Research notes that opposites attract but is unable to explain
why this happens.
d. Studies do not support this idea but instead offer the explanation
of complementary qualities.- According to Robert Sternberg’s three components of love, which
component addresses the physical aspects?
a. intimacy c. commitment
b. passion d. concern - When people are unable to reach a goal, frustration may result,
which can ultimately turn into
a. aggression. c. confusion.
b. pain. d. depression. - Which of the following scenarios probably will not result in the
bystander effect?
a. Yo u c o m e a c r o s s s o m e o n e l y i n g o n a b u s y s i d e w a l k i n a l a r g e c i t y.
b. You see someone pass out at a concert.
c. You drive past an automobile accident where a crowd has
gathered.
d. You come across someone lying on a walking path while you are
walking alone at your local nature center.