Course Syllabus
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Semester & Location: |
Summer 2024 - Session 1 - DIS Copenhagen |
Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
Major Disciplines: | |
Prerequisite(s): |
One course in neuroscience, physiological psychology, or biological psychology at university level. |
Faculty Members: |
Angela Mastropasqua (current students please contact via the Canvas Inbox) |
Program Contact: |
Department email address psy.cns@dis.dk |
Time & Place: |
Time: See course calendar Location: Fi6-Metro 104 |
Description of Course
Pre-requisite: One semester of neuroscience, physiological psychology, or biological psychology course at university level.
Human beings are inherently social creatures, yet relatively little attention has been paid to social influences on the brain. The primary goal of this course will be to begin to explore the neural basis of social interaction, and the neural basis of beliefs about our social world. Contributions from social cognitive neuroscience and social psychology will be addressed and emphasis will be placed on analysis of primary literature investigating social, environmental, and cultural influences on human brain processes.
Learning Objectives
1) Application of knowledge using critical thinking skills: Students should be able to use critical thinking to evaluate and interpret evidence, and to apply social cognitive neuroscience concepts, theories, and research findings to individual, social, and cultural issues.
2) Application of research methods: Students should be able to apply basic research methods in social cognitive neuroscience.
3) Communication skills: Students should be able to learn how to analytically address topics within these field and demonstrate effective communication skills.
4) Awareness of methodological and theoretical diversity: Students should be able to understand the complexities of this interdisciplinary approach, such as social cognitive neuroscience.
Faculty
Angela Mastropasqua: Ph.D. (Cognitive Neuroscience, Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience, LMU Munich , 2020). M.Sc. (Psychology, University of Turin, 2013). B.A. (Psychological Sciences and Techniques, University of Bari, 2010). Research interest in higher brain functions studied with a multi-techniques approach, in particular combining non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and neuroimaging.
Readings
- Required Textbooks (available at DIS library): As this course draws on both social psychology and social neuroscience, materials will be provided from both disciplines.
- Social Psychology Textbook: Hewstone, M., Stroebe, W., & Jonas, K. (2012). An introduction to Social Psychology (5th ed.). London: Blackwell.
- Social Neuroscience Textbook: Ward (2017). The Student's Guide to Social Neuroscience (2nd ed.). Hove: Psychology Press.
- Articles (on Canvas):
- Adolphs, R. (2001). The neurobiology of social cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 11: pp. 231 239.
- Cai, H., et al. (2016). Self-enhancement among Westerners and Easterners: A cultural neuroscience approach. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(10), 1569–1578.
- Carter, E. J. & Pelphrey, K. A. (2008). Friend or for? Brain systems involved in the perception of dynamic signals of menacing and friendly social approaches. Social Neuroscience 3(2): pp. 151-163.
- Castelli, et al. (2002). Autism, Asperger Syndrome and brain mechanisms for the attribution of mental states to animated shapes. Brain 125: pp. 1839-1849.
- Charpentier, C. J., & O’Doherty, J. P. (2018). The application of computational models to social neuroscience: promises and pitfalls. Social Neuroscience, 13(6), 637–647.
- Cheng (2010). Love hurts: An FMRI study. Neuroimage 51: pp: 923-929.
- Corrigall, E. A., & Konrad, A. M. (2007). Gender Role Attitudes and Careers: A Longitudinal Study. Sex Roles, 56(11–12), 847–855.
- Deen, B., Koldewyn, K., Kanwisher, N., & Saxe, R. (2015). Functional Organization of Social Perception and Cognition in the Superior Temporal Sulcus. Cerebral Cortex, 25(11), 4596–4609.
- Derks, B., Inzlicht, M., & Kang, S. (2008). The Neuroscience of Stigma and Stereotype Threat. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 11(2), 163–181.
- Dongen, V., & M, J. D. (2020). The Empathic Brain of Psychopaths: From Social Science to Neuroscience in Empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
- Dunbar (2007). Evolution in the Social Brain. Science 317: pp. 1344-1347.
- Ebner, N. C., Johnson, M. K., & Fischer, H. (2012). Neural Mechanisms of Reading Facial Emotions in Young and Older Adults. Frontiers in psychology, 3, 223.
- Edelson, M., et al. (2011). Following the crowd: brain substrates of long-term memory conformity. Science, 1(333): pp. 108-111.
- Eisenberger, et al. (2003) Does rejection hurt? Science, 302: pp. 290-292
- Filkowski, M. M., Anderson, I. W., & Haas, B. W. (2016). Trying to trust: Brain activity during interpersonal social attitude change. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 16(2), 325–338.
- Frith, U. & Frith, D. (2003). Development and neurophysiology of mentalizing. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B.
- Heatherton, T. F. (2011). Neuroscience of Self and Self-Regulation. Annual Review of Psychology, 62(1), 363–390.
- Lantos, D., & Molenberghs, P. (2021). The neuroscience of intergroup threat and violence. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 131, 77–87.
- Lovell, M. (2006). Caring for the elderly: changing perceptions and attitudes. In J Vasc Nurs. Mar;24(1):22-6.
- McDermott, Fowler, & Christakis (2013). Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Unless Everyone Else is Doing it Too: Social Network Effects on Divorce in a Longitudinal Sample. In Soc Forces. 2013 92(2): 491–519.
- Ochsner, K. N. & Lieberman, M. D. (2001). The emergence of social cognitive neuroscience. American Psychologist, 56: pp. 717-734.
- Perkins, E. R., et al. (2022). Trait boldness and emotion regulation: An event-related potential investigation. International Journal of Psychophysiology: Official Journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology, 176, 1–13.
- Pitcher, D. (2014). Facial Expression Recognition Takes Longer in the Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus than in the Occipital Face Area. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(27), 9173–9177.
- Sato, W., & Uono, S. (2019). The atypical social brain network in autism: advances in structural and functional MRI studies. Current Opinion in Neurology, 32(4), 617–621.
- Saxe, R., Schulz, L. E., & Jiang, Y. V. (2006). Reading minds versus following rules: Dissociating theory of mind and executive control in the brain. Social Neuroscience, 1(3–4), 284–298.
- Sazhin, D., et al. (2020). The Role of Social Reward and Corticostriatal Connectivity in Substance Use. OSF.
- Schurz, M. (2020). Toward a hierarchical model of social cognition: A neuroimaging meta-analysis and integrative review of empathy and theory of mind. Psychological Bulletin, 147(3), 293.
- Tso, I. F., Rutherford, S., Fang, Y., Angstadt, M., & Taylor, S. F. (2018). The “social brain” is highly sensitive to the mere presence of social information: An automated meta-analysis and an independent study. PLOS ONE, 13(5), e0196503.
- Vogeley, K. & Fink, G. R. (2003). Neural correlates of the first-person-perspective. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7: pp. 38-42.
- Willingham, D. T., & Dunn, E. W. (2003). What neuroimaging and brain localization can do, cannot do and should not do for social psychology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(4), 662–671.
- Yoder, K. J., & Decety, J. (2018). The neuroscience of morality and social decision-making. Psychology, Crime & Law, 24(3), 279–295.
- Zalla, T., Barlassina, L., Buon, M., & Leboyer, M. (2011). Moral judgment in adults with autism spectrum disorders. Cognition, 121(1), 115–126.
- Zhu, et al. (2007). Neural basis of cultural influence on self-representation. NeuroImage 34: pp. 1310–1316.
- Zilbovicius, M., Meresse, I., Chabane, N., Brunelle, F., Samson, Y., & Boddaert, N. (2006). Autism, the superior temporal sulcus and social perception. Trends in Neurosciences, 29(7), 359–366.
Approach to Teaching
This course will be taught using a combination of methods. There is a strong emphasis on participation and class discussions and while I am responsible for the overall structure of the class, all of us will contribute to the production of knowledge.
Required Readings
- Course readings are found on Canvas.
- Before each class, you are expected to read the texts and watch the videos assigned for the class.
- Canvas discussions: Before most classes you are required to post at least one entry to our Canvas discussions page. You are required to complete thoughtful canvas responses to readings, guest lectures, study tour visits, and field studies. Your instructor will provide you with more information.
- Please feel invited to post relevant links, images, videos, texts, discussion questions etc.
Methods of Evaluation and Grading
Methods of Evaluation |
How Evaluated |
Percentage of Grade |
Participation |
Individual |
25% |
Field Studies |
Individual |
10% |
Group Presentation |
Group |
20% |
Final Paper |
Individual |
30% |
Group Project |
Group |
15% |
Total |
|
100% |
Participation & Engagement (25%)
- Before class: You are expected to complete the required readings & assignments prior to each class.
- During class: Classes will be very hands on and you are expected to bring your talent, experience and thoughts to the table.
- Late Policy: If you arrive to class 10+ minutes late, or leave unexcused before the class has ended, you will be counted as absent for that day.
- Your grade reflects: Active and verbal participation in theoretically informed class discussions and activities, where you draw on our readings and show strong engagement.
Group Presentation (20%)
Groups of approx. 3-4 students will be presenting a topic in class (ca. 20 min.), after which there will be ca. 20 min. discussion with the rest of the class, answering and discussing prepared questions and debate topics (see Discussion Questions below)
- Contents should include (but not be limited to):
- Introduction of the key issues of the topic
- Method employed to investigate it
- Identification and discussion of key findings/knowledge
- Critique of methods and potentially of the findings
- Examples/Applied cases
Field study (10%)
-
Prior to the field studies you will receive a journal. The objective of this journal is to frame the field studies and to make you take ownership of the knowledge that is presented connecting with the theoretical and experimental aspects discussed in class.
The field studies journal is a required part of the class curriculum. It will be graded, and the grade will count 10% of your final grade (5% per each field study). This is not a group exercise. However, you are very much encouraged to discuss the questions with classmates/teachers etc.
Final Paper (30%)
Analysis/critique of a peer-reviewed article.
4 pages (2000 words max) excluding title page and reference (at least 3 references of peer-reviewed articles!); all in APA-style
- Introduction: contextualize the topic/selected issue from the paper that you would like to explore and your reason for doing so. Present issues as a question or questions you would like to answer
- Summary of article: include (a) introduction of the key issues from the article, (b) method employed to investigate issue/s, (c) identification and discussion of key findings from the study (d) critique of method, findings and (e) implications of findings (research, practical application)
- Critique/Analysis: why you agree/disagree with the paper, what you think the authors should/should have not included, what you think would be beneficial to have considered in the paper, other considerations/evaluations.
- Conclusion: Summarize your main points and suggest possible, future directions.
Group project (15%)
Details on the final group project will be announced in class.
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work.
Field Studies
See Course Calendar for details.
Policies
Attendance: You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss a class for any reason, please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness or religious holidays, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.
Academic Honesty, Plagiarism, and Violating the Rules of an Assignment: DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.
Policy on Late Papers: Late essays will be accepted for up to 3 days after the deadline, but for each day late, excluding the weekends, a 5% penalty will be applied.
Extensions: You may request an extension for an assignment, but you must ask more than 1 day before the assignment is due. Extension requests on the due date, without an excusable reason, will not be considered.
Policy for Students Who Arrive Late to Class: Please come to classes on time as it is disturbing for the lecturer and other students. Repeated lateness will result in a referral to the head of the Teaching and Learning department.
Use of Laptops or Phones in Class: Computers and iPhones are allowed in class PURELY for academic purposes (e.g. note taking, literature searching, data handling purposes). In case of other private uses such as Facebook, emails or internet surfing, it will have a very negative impact on your participation grade. The use of cell phones during class is strictly forbidden.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
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