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1.Neuroscience- Human Relationships
Teach Your Peers — What is this “Neuroscience” Field about?
Discussion Board Post- (Original Content Only) (in-text citations are a must)
In 600 words, based on what you learned from the Fundamentals of Neuroscience online course and the first readings in Cozolino and Doidge, teach your peers about two findings from the field of neuroscience that you find most fascinating. Explain the findings thoroughly and succinctly (aim for 200 words for each finding) and connect your peers to the sources from which you obtained the information you share. To help your peers locate the information you share and respond to you, use page numbers with your citations.
In your response to your peers, build on what they have taught you. Provide one extra factoid not already shared by them or by your classmates about their findings. (Your factoid responses can be short; you may use bullet points to share your information. Do be thorough and always cite your sources).
2. What is Social Neuroscience? Communication Neuroscience?
Discussion Board-Post (Original Content Only) (600 words) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
In a few paragraphs, explain the scope and focus of the fields of social neuroscience and/or communication neuroscience (feel free to focus on one or both, depending on your personal or professional interests). Use this week’s journal articles to guide your writing. To help your peers locate the information you share and respond to you, use page numbers with your citations.
3. Backyard Brains
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Dr. Greg Gage (from Backyard Brains) shows us some interesting methods for observing the activity of the brain in his talk, “How to Control Someone Else’s Hand with Your Brain”. Look up some other methods neuroscience researchers use to study the functions of the brain. What are the names of these tools and research methods? Be sure to share links or citations in your post.
4. Neuroscience- Human Relationships
Teach Your Peers — What is this “Neuroscience” Field about?
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
ChavezA_What is the “Neuroscience” Field about?
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Adina Chavez posted Aug 29, 2024 5:43 PM
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The study of neuroscience is a complex mix of different disciplines. Although Neuroscience can have many complex aspects to it, in general, it is the study of the brain and the nervous system. Neuroscience is a broad topic that can be broken down into more specific categories (Cacioppo & Decety, 2011). One of these is cognitive neuroscience which studies the brain and nervous system’s reaction to cognitive activities such as perception, decision-making, memory, and reasoning (Cacioppo & Decety, 2011). Another category of neuroscience is behavioral neuroscience which looks more at the brain and nervous systems response to behaviors such as sleep, motivation, and learning. Social neuroscience is another perspective of neuroscience. This includes the brain and nervous systems as they relate to outside relationships.
Through research and studies, there are many fascinating findings related to the topic of neuroscience. One such finding is regarding the neurological impact of drinking as an adolescent. It was found that individuals who consume alcohol during their adolescence are more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (Nixon, & McClain, 2010,). There are two hypotheses regarding the reasoning for this development. First, the adolescent brain is unable to adhere to cues to self-regulate and slow the consumption of alcohol. The second is that adolescent brains show high sensitivity to the neurological effects of alcohol causing neurodegenerative effects that can lead to addiction. The impact of alcohol consumption as an adolescent is different than alcohol consumption as an adult. It was shown that adolescents are less sensitive to the negative impact of alcohol consumption, which would include sedation, anxiety, “hangovers” and motor impairment (Nixon, & McClain, 2010,). However, adolescents are more susceptible to the positive effects of alcohol consumption, such as euphoric effects and social effects. This, in turn, can cause an adolescent to consume more alcohol more often to achieve that same impact. This continued consumption of alcohol contributes to neurodegeneration and can lead to alcohol addiction as an adolescent or as an adult.
Another fascinating finding in the realm of neuroscience is how this field is being used within the criminal justice system. Historically, neuroscientific evidence has been used in trials to evaluate a defendant’s responsibility for the crime in question (Gkotsi, & Gasser, 2016 p. 58). However, recently, there have been more studies to determine if neuroscientific evidence can be used to determine an offender’s likelihood to be a danger to society and the likelihood of recidivism. As views change and develop regarding the role and the responsibility of the criminal justice system so must the methods for assessment. This shift in views has gone from the criminal justice system’s role being punishment to prevention and intervention. Assessing the dangerousness of an individual is vital in determining which methods of intervention should be assessed and whether the individual should be let back into society. Adding a laying of neuroscientific evidence to the assessment that is already in place can contribute to a better evaluation (Gkotsi, & Gasser, 2016 p. 65). One method that is currently being explored, to make this determination is neuroimaging. There have been multiple studies on this method being used to predict violence, recidivism pedophilia, and many other criminal behaviors. This is definitely one aspect of neuroscience I am eager to explore further.
References:
Cacioppo, J. T., & Decety, J. (2011). Social neuroscience: challenges and opportunities in the study of complex behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1224(1), 162-173. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05858.x
Gkotsi, G. M., & Gasser, J. (2016). Neuroscience in forensic psychiatry: From responsibility to dangerousness. Ethical and legal implications of using neuroscience for dangerousness assessments. International journal of law and psychiatry, 46, 58-67.
5. Neuroscience- Human Relationships
Teach Your Peers — What is this “Neuroscience” Field about?
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
WhitfieldC – What is this “Neuroscience” Field about?
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Cassandra Whitfield posted Aug 30, 2024 8:46 PM
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Upon reading about the fundamentals of neuroscience, the first concept I found interesting was the evolutionary and biological aspects of brain development. Brain maturation is correlated with the complexity of social functions like survival techniques, communication, and emotional capacity. Humans require a broad developmental period because of our elaborate social world. The biological consequence of prolonged brain growth is that the cranial structures do not come together for months after birth and the skull continues to grow in size throughout puberty. “This extended developmental period allows for the growth of neurons and the expansion of dendritic connections, especially in the neocortex, the area most involved with social cognition and inhibitory control” (Cozolino, 2014, p. 14). This evolutionary influence on humans’ biological development strongly impacts social interactions, interpersonal relationships, and the environment. These findings highlight the importance of providing adequate environments for child development in our society.
Another concept I found fascinating was the unique perspectives of interpersonal neurobiology and social neuroscience. Both of these fields are interdisciplinary with influences from biology, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, ethology, genetics, evolution, and more. Interpersonal neurobiology asserts that the brain is affected by social experiences. Social neuroscience expands from traditional neuroscience that focuses on individual neural mechanisms and emphasizes how social interactions change structural and functional brain processes (Cacioppo & Decety, 2011). “Members of social species, by definition, create organizations beyond the individual. These superorganismal structures evolved hand in hand with psychological, neural, hormonal, cellular, and genetic mechanisms to support them because the consequent social behaviors helped these organisms survive, reproduce, and care for offspring sufficiently long that they too reproduced, thereby ensuring their genetic legacy” (Cacioppo & Decety, 2011, p. 163). Social neuroscience research is essentially attempting to bridge the gap between social and biological aspects in humans.
Question: How do you think brain development impacts adults’ communication and ability to be a good leader/coworker?
Cacioppo, J. T., & Decety, J. (2011). Social neuroscience: challenges and opportunities in the study of complex behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1224(1), 162–173. https://doi-org.dml.regis.edu/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05858.x
Cozolino, L. (2014). The neuroscience of human relationships: Attachment and the developing social brain (2nd Ed.). WW Norton & Company.
6. What is Social Neuroscience? Communication Neuroscience?
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
ChavezA_What is Social Neuroscience?
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Adina Chavez posted Aug 29, 2024 5:47 PM
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Humans and many other animals are social creatures. According to Cacioppo, & Decety, (2011), these social structures are established to ensure the survival of the species by providing benefits such as aiding in reproduction and caring for each other. These social aspects of being human are important to understand and it is also important to study the impact these outside relationships have on a biological level. Social neuroscience aims to understand these two aspects and the impact they may have on one another. Social Neuroscience is the study of the neurological results of social relationships and interaction (Decety & Keenan, 2006). This is typically a process examined by social psychologists and neuroscientists.
It is difficult to study social neuroscience as many of the social situations cannot be recreated in a lab environment. (Decety & Keenan, 2006). Social psychology involves many psychological constructs, such as empathy, moral dilemmas, and self-regulation. These are difficult to map to the neural process. To accurately study social neuroscience research must encompass many types of research methods and multilevel analysis. It requires a system approach and not a single approach. Animal studies remain an important part of the study of social neuroscience. Some areas cannot be assessed by studying animals such as language and sexual behavior (Decety & Keenan, 2006). Although social neuroscience is an important aspect of the study of humans, it can oversimplify complex issues. Public policy can be made given the research done on social neuroscience. Researchers must be clear about the scope and nature of their work.
References:
Cacioppo, J. T., & Decety, J. (2011). Social neuroscience: challenges and opportunities in the study of complex behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1224(1), 162-173. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05858.x
Decety, J., & Keenan, J. P. (2006). Social neuroscience: A new journal. Social Neuroscience,, 1(1), 1-4.
7. What is Social Neuroscience? Communication Neuroscience?
Discussion Board Reply- (Original Content Only) (200 words per post) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)
WhitfieldC – What is Social Neuroscience?
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Cassandra Whitfield posted Aug 30, 2024 9:23 PM
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Social neuroscience is unique due to its broad scope of interdisciplinary influences and how social neuroscience research can be applied to many areas of study. Social neuroscience aims to identify biological mechanisms in the body and explain how those systems influence social processes and development (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2013). This field of study emphasizes the necessity for multilevel analyses to investigate complex human behaviors that range from biological responses to social situations; however, the need for multilevel analyses is the biggest challenge in this area (Cacioppo & Decety, 2011). Findings and advancements in understanding social behaviors like love, anger, trust, and empathy have drawn interest from interdisciplinary researchers, funding agencies, the criminal justice field, and the media.
Question: Many animal species exhibit social structures and forms of communication. Which group of animals would be beneficial for social neuroscientists to study and compare to humans?
Cacioppo, J. T., & Cacioppo, S. (2013). Social Neuroscience. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8(6), 667–669. https://doi-org.dml.regis.edu/10.1177/1745691613507456
8. Backyard Brains
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Adina Chavez posted Aug 29, 2024 6:24 PM
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Many methods, tools, and techniques can be used to study the brain and the nervous system. One tool that can be used is neuroimaging. Some neuroimaging methods show great promise for the study of social neuroscience. These include positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), event-related potential (ERP), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) (Decety, & Keenan, 2006). Another tool used to study neuroscience is electroencephalography (EEG). EEG is a neuroelectric technique that provides a record of electrical activity (Dietrich, & Kanso, 2010). This is a non-invasive test where sensors are attached to the scalp to measure electrical activity. This is typically used to diagnose or monitor many different types of illnesses such as dementia, and seizures.
References:
Cacioppo, J. T., & Decety, J. (2011). Social neuroscience: challenges and opportunities in the study of complex behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1224(1), 162-173. doi:10. Cacioppo, J. T., & Decety, J. (2011). 1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05858.x
9. Backyard Brains
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WhitfieldC – Backyard Brains
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Cassandra Whitfield posted Aug 30, 2024 10:35 PM
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One method neuroscientists have used to study social behavior and functions of the brain is through animal research. Animal research has assisted researchers develop treatments, build disease models, construct implants (ie. Cochlear implants), evaluate addiction or anxiety, and find similarities in social structures between humans and the animal kingdom. While there have been many ethical concerns about animal research, research conducted by social neuroscience academics is often observation-based and does little to no harm to the animals’ welfare. Studying cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) brains and their social behaviors is a prime example of neuroscience using animal research. Marino et al. (2007) argued the evolutionary reasons for cetaceans’ large brain size is due to social pressures requiring intricate communication and collaboration between group members as well as cognitive demands for echolocation. Observation of cetaceans has proven that they are highly intelligent, use specific communication styles or languages, utilize social hierarchy, mimic each other, recognize themselves in mirrors, and separate groups have their own form of culture and socially accepted behaviors (Boyle, 2009).
Question: Dr. Greg Gage discussed how neuroscience education should be more accessible for everyone. At what age should we start teaching neuroscience and how do you think this education will impact society?