Early maturation of the social brain: How brain development provides a platform for the acquisition of social-cognitive competence

2020 ◽  
pp. 49-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Ciarrusta ◽  
Ralica Dimitrova ◽  
Grainne McAlonan
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Competence ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
The Social

scholarly journals Puberty and social brain development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein Barendse ◽  
Jennifer H Pfeifer
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Pubertal Development ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
The Social ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Physical Changes

Puberty is characterized by substantial change in many areas of development, including hormonal, physical, neuronal, psychological and social. In this chapter, we outline how puberty, and its underlying hormonal and physical changes, might elicit a sensitive period for the development of the social brain. The literature to date suggests that pubertal development is relevant for the structural development of the social brain, partly in interaction with sex. Functionally, puberty might render the brain more sensitive to social information. However, methodological issues relating to sample size, study design and analysis, limit the possibility of drawing more specific conclusions. Apart from overcoming these methodological problems, future research should focus on individual differences in pubertal processes and their relevance to social brain development, as well as examining the mechanisms from pubertal processes through social brain functioning to social behavior.

scholarly journals Orbital prefrontal cortex volume predicts social network size: an imaging study of individual differences in humans

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1736) ◽  
pp. 2157-2162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Powell ◽  
Penelope A. Lewis ◽  
Neil Roberts ◽  
Marta García-Fiñana ◽  
R. I. M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Social Network Size ◽  
The Social

The social brain hypothesis, an explanation for the unusually large brains of primates, posits that the size of social group typical of a species is directly related to the volume of its neocortex. To test whether this hypothesis also applies at the within-species level, we applied the Cavalieri method of stereology in conjunction with point counting on magnetic resonance images to determine the volume of prefrontal cortex (PFC) subfields, including dorsal and orbital regions. Path analysis in a sample of 40 healthy adult humans revealed a significant linear relationship between orbital (but not dorsal) PFC volume and the size of subjects' social networks that was mediated by individual intentionality (mentalizing) competences. The results support the social brain hypothesis by indicating a relationship between PFC volume and social network size that applies within species, and, more importantly, indicates that the relationship is mediated by social cognitive skills.

scholarly journals The archaeology of the social brain revisited: rethinking mind and material culture from a material engagement perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 105971232094194
Author(s):  
Anna M Barona
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Technological Evolution ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Relational Models ◽  
Engagement Theory ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Material Engagement ◽  
The Relationship

The social brain hypothesis (SBH) has played a prominent role in interpreting the relationship between human social, cognitive and technological evolution in archaeology and beyond. This article examines how the SBH has been applied to the Palaeolithic material record, and puts forward a critique of the approach. Informed by Material Engagement Theory (MET) and its understanding of material agency, it is argued that the SBH has an inherently cognitivist understanding of mind and matter at its core. This Cartesian basis has not been fully resolved by archaeological attempts to integrate the SBH with relational models of cognition. At the heart of the issue has been a lack of meaningful consideration of the cognitive agency of things and the evolutionary efficacy of material engagement. This article proposes MET as a useful starting point for rethinking future approaches to human social cognitive becoming in a way that appreciates the co-constitution of brains, bodies and worlds. It also suggests how MET may bridge archaeological and 4E approaches to reconsider concepts such as the ‘mental template’ and Theory of Mind.

Navigating the Social Environment in Adolescence: The Role of Social Brain Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118
Author(s):  
Jack L. Andrews ◽  
Saz P. Ahmed ◽  
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
The Social

scholarly journals Puberty and social brain development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein E. A. Barendse ◽  
Jennifer H. Pfeifer
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Pubertal Development ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
The Social ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Physical Changes

Puberty is characterized by substantial change in many areas of development, including hormonal, physical, neuronal, psychological, and social domains. In this chapter, the authors outline how puberty, and its underlying hormonal and physical changes, might elicit a sensitive period for the development of the social brain. The literature to date suggests that pubertal development is relevant for the structural development of the social brain, and this is partly moderated by biological sex. Functionally, puberty might render the brain more sensitive to social information. However, methodological issues relating to sample size, study design, and analysis, limit the possibility of drawing more specific conclusions. Apart from overcoming these methodological problems, future research should focus on individual differences in pubertal processes and their relevance to social brain development, as well as examining the mechanisms via which pubertal processes impact social behavior through social brain functioning.

scholarly journals The preterm social brain: altered functional networks for Theory of Mind in very preterm children

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah I Mossad ◽  
Marlee M Vandewouw ◽  
Mary Lou Smith ◽  
Margot J Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Functional Mri ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Very Preterm ◽  
The Social ◽  
Preterm Born

Abstract Neurodevelopmental difficulties emerge in very preterm born children (<32-week gestation) in infancy and continue to early adulthood but little is known about their social-cognitive development. This study utilized the complementary methodological advantages of both functional MRI and magnetoencephalography to examine the neural underpinnings of Theory of Mind in very preterm birth. Theory of Mind, one of the core social-cognitive skills, is the ability to attribute mental states to others, and is crucial for predicting others’ behaviours in social interactions. Eighty-three children (40 very preterm born, 24 boys, age = 8.7 ± 0.5 years, and 43 full-term born, 22 boys, age = 8.6 ± 0.5 years) completed the study. In functional MRI, both groups recruited classic Theory of Mind areas, without significant group differences. However, reduced Theory of Mind connectivity in the very preterm born group was found in magnetoencephalography in distinct theta, alpha and beta-band networks anchored in a set of brain regions that comprise the social brain. These networks included regions such as the angular gyrus, the medial pre-frontal cortex, the superior temporal gyrus and the temporal poles. Very preterm born children showed increased connectivity compared to controls in a network anchored in the occipital gyri rather than classical social-processing regions. Very preterm born children made significantly more attribution errors and mis-construed the social scenarios. Findings offer novel insight into the neural networks, supporting social cognition in very preterm born children and highlight the importance of multimodal neuroimaging to interrogate the social brain in clinical populations.

Social Cognition in Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-249
Author(s):  
Ronja Weiblen ◽  
Melanie Jonas ◽  
Sören Krach ◽  
Ulrike M. Krämer
Keyword(s):  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Decision Making System ◽  
Social Decision Making ◽  
Work Done

Abstract. Research on the neural mechanisms underlying Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) has mostly concentrated on abnormalities in basal ganglia circuits. Recent alternative accounts, however, focused more on social and affective aspects. Individuals with GTS show peculiarities in their social and affective domain, including echophenomena, coprolalia, and nonobscene socially inappropriate behavior. This article reviews the experimental and theoretical work done on the social symptoms of GTS. We discuss the role of different social cognitive and affective functions and associated brain networks, namely, the social-decision-making system, theory-of-mind functions, and the so-called “mirror-neuron” system. Although GTS affects social interactions in many ways, and although the syndrome includes aberrant social behavior, the underlying cognitive, affective, and neural processes remain to be investigated.

Collective Human Agency in the Context of Organizational Participation

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Georg Weber ◽  
Hans Jeppe Jeppesen
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Employee Participation ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Participation ◽  
The Social

Abstract. Connecting the social cognitive approach of human agency by Bandura (1997) and activity theory by Leontiev (1978) , this paper proposes a new theoretical framework for analyzing and understanding employee participation in organizational decision-making. Focusing on the social cognitive concepts of self-reactiveness, self-reflectiveness, intentionality, and forethought, commonalities, complementarities, and differences between both theories are explained. Efficacy in agency is conceived as a cognitive foundation of work motivation, whereas the mediation of societal requirements and resources through practical activity is conceptualized as an ecological approach to motivation. Additionally, we discuss to which degree collective objectifications can be understood as material indicators of employees’ collective efficacy. By way of example, we explore whether an integrated application of concepts from both theories promotes a clearer understanding of mechanisms connected to the practice of employee participation.

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