All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the most specific role of the ventromedial PFC in social cognition?
Answer: Value-based social decision-making and emotion regulation. Integrates emotional value with social choices.
Flashcard 2: What is the primary social-cognitive function of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ)?
Answer: Theory of mind and perspective-taking. Enables understanding others' mental states and beliefs.
Flashcard 3: What is the most specific role of the dorsolateral PFC in social behavior?
Answer: Cognitive control and regulation of impulses in social contexts. Maintains goal-directed behavior despite social distractions.
Flashcard 4: What is the primary social function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC)?
Answer: Executive control of social behavior (planning, inhibition, decision-making). Overrides automatic responses for appropriate social conduct.
Flashcard 5: What is the primary role of dopamine in social behavior and affiliation?
Answer: Reward learning and motivation for social interaction. Reinforces social interactions through reward pathways.
Flashcard 6: What is the primary role of serotonin in social behavior regulation?
Answer: Modulates mood and impulsive aggression. Low levels linked to increased reactive aggression.
Flashcard 7: What is the definition of inclusive fitness in evolutionary explanations of social behavior?
Answer: Total genetic success via own offspring plus aiding relatives’ reproduction. Maximizes gene copies through direct and indirect means.
Flashcard 8: What is the core claim of the “tend-and-befriend” model of stress responding?
Answer: Stress can promote affiliative caregiving and social support seeking. Alternative to fight-or-flight, especially in females.
Flashcard 9: Identify the concept: helping behavior that increases the survival of genetic relatives.
Answer: Kin selection. Altruism toward relatives preserves shared genes.
Flashcard 10: What is the key distinction between kin selection and reciprocal altruism?
Answer: Kin selection: helps relatives; reciprocal altruism: helps nonkin with expected return. Kin share genes; reciprocal requires future benefit.
Flashcard 11: What is the primary effect of testosterone on social behavior?
Answer: Increases dominance-related behavior and competitive/aggressive responding. Correlates with status-seeking and reduced empathy.
Flashcard 12: What is the primary effect of cortisol on social behavior under stress?
Answer: Stress hormone that biases vigilance and can impair social cognition. Chronic elevation disrupts prefrontal regulation.
Flashcard 13: Which pattern best describes a typical sex difference in aggression type?
Answer: Males: more physical; females: more relational/indirect aggression. Testosterone influences physical aggression more in males.
Flashcard 14: Which concept explains altruism toward genetic relatives as increasing shared gene transmission?
Answer: Kin selection (inclusive fitness). Helping relatives increases copies of shared genes.
Flashcard 15: What is reciprocal altruism in evolutionary explanations of social behavior?
Answer: Helping others with expectation of future return benefits. Evolved strategy where cooperation benefits both parties over time.
Flashcard 16: What is the primary social effect of oxytocin in humans?
Answer: Facilitates bonding and trust; enhances affiliative behavior. Released during social bonding to promote prosocial behaviors.
Flashcard 17: Which brain region is most associated with reward processing that reinforces social bonding?
Answer: Ventral striatum (including nucleus accumbens). Part of reward circuit activated by social rewards.
Flashcard 18: What is the key social function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)?
Answer: Conflict monitoring and social pain (rejection-related distress). Activates when detecting conflicts and experiencing social exclusion.
Flashcard 19: What is the main social function of the amygdala in human behavior?
Answer: Threat detection and emotional salience, especially fear and aggression. Processes emotional stimuli and triggers fear/aggression responses.
Flashcard 20: What is the primary social-cognitive role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC)?
Answer: Executive control of social behavior (planning, inhibition, judgment). Regulates impulses and complex social decision-making.
Flashcard 21: What is the primary social function of the amygdala in human behavior?
Answer: Processing emotional salience, especially fear and threat-related social cues. Rapidly detects threats to trigger fight-or-flight responses.
Flashcard 22: What is the primary social function of the insula?
Answer: Interoception and disgust/empathy-related affective processing. Processes bodily sensations linked to social emotions.
Flashcard 23: What is the primary function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in social behavior?
Answer: Conflict monitoring and affective processing, including social pain. Detects social conflicts and processes rejection distress.
Flashcard 24: What is the primary social-cognitive function of the superior temporal sulcus (STS)?
Answer: Perception of biological motion, gaze direction, and social intentions. Detects social cues from body language and eye movements.
Flashcard 25: What is the primary social-cognitive function of the fusiform face area (FFA)?
Answer: Facial recognition and processing of facial identity. Specialized for distinguishing individual faces.
Flashcard 26: What is the primary role of the mirror neuron system in social behavior?
Answer: Linking observed actions to motor representations; supports imitation/empathy. Neurons fire both when performing and observing actions.
Flashcard 27: What is the main effect of oxytocin on social behavior that is commonly tested on the MCAT?
Answer: Promotes social bonding, trust, and attachment-related behaviors. Released during childbirth/nursing; enhances in-group favoritism.
Flashcard 28: What is the main effect of vasopressin on social behavior that is commonly tested on the MCAT?
Answer: Facilitates social bonding and pair-bonding; can increase aggression/territoriality. ADH analog that modulates social memory and mate guarding.
Flashcard 29: What is the sympathoadrenal (SAM) pathway’s main hormonal output in acute stress?
Answer: Epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal medulla. Fight-or-flight response releases catecholamines rapidly.
Flashcard 30: What is theory of mind (ToM) in the context of social cognition?
Answer: Attributing mental states to self and others. Understanding others have different thoughts/beliefs.