SOW-DGCN26
Social Neurocognition
Course infoSchedule
Course moduleSOW-DGCN26
Credits (ECTS)6
Category-
Language of instructionEnglish
Offered byRadboud University; Faculty of Social Sciences; Cognitive Neuroscience;
Lecturer(s)
Lecturer
prof. dr. K. Roelofs
Other course modules lecturer
Examiner
prof. dr. I. Toni
Other course modules lecturer
Lecturer
prof. dr. I. Toni
Other course modules lecturer
Coordinator
prof. dr. I. Toni
Other course modules lecturer
Contactperson for the course
prof. dr. I. Toni
Other course modules lecturer
Academic year2020
Period
SEM2  (25/01/2021 to 16/07/2021)
Starting block
SEM2
Course mode
full-time
Remarks-
Registration using OSIRISYes
Course open to students from other facultiesNo
Pre-registrationNo
Waiting listNo
Placement procedure-
Aims

This course will provide students with a thorough background in the newly emergent field of social cognitive neuroscience. A broad range of social phenomena will be examined at multiple levels (1) the social level including experience and behaviors (2) the cognitive level which deals with information processing systems and (3) the neural level which deals with brain/neuronal bases of the first two levels.

Content

A wide variety of social psychological phenomenon which have been examined using neuroscience techniques will be discussed. Topics will include emotion, joint action, animal and human communication, and disturbed social functioning in psychiatric disorders. These topics will be discussed at both general and specific (article) levels. Guest speakers at the forefront of specific research topics in social neurocognition will contribute to the course.

Level

Presumed foreknowledge

Test information

Specifics

Assumed previous knowledge
This course is for CNS students only. Non-CNS students can contact Ellen Janssen (e.janssen@donders.ru.nl) or Arno Koning ( a.koning@donders.ru.nl).

Required materials
Literature
Literature covers theoretical articles and book chapters as well as reviews and reports of recent empirical studies. Links to papers in electronic format will be available via Brightspace.

Recommended materials
Articles
Heinrichs, M., & Domes, G. (2008). Neuropeptides and social behaviour: effects of oxytocin and vasopressin in humans, Progress in Brain Research, 170, 337-350.
Articles
Behrens TE, Hunt LT, Rushworth MF (2009) The computation of social behavior. science 324:1160–1164.
Articles
Platt ML, Seyfarth RM, Cheney DL (2016) Adaptations for social cognition in the primate brain. Philos Trans R Soc B Biol Sci 371:20150096
Articles
Stolk A, Verhagen L, Toni I (2016) Conceptual Alignment: How Brains Achieve Mutual Understanding. Trends Cogn Sci 20:180–191.

Instructional modes
Discussion
Attendance MandatoryYes

General
Grades will be based on class participation, essay quality, and a final written exam with open-ended questions.

Essay
Attendance MandatoryYes

General
Essay: Each student is expected to generate a research project related to social neurocognition. The research project should be structured in the form of a grant application, consisting of the identification of a relevant issue, the generation of an experimental design adequate to address the issue, and possibly a discussion on how the empirical results could be informative for understanding the issue.
Grades will be based on class participation, essay quality, and a final written exam with open-ended questions.

Lecture
Attendance MandatoryYes

General
Course: Each meeting is organized around a specific topic. Before each meeting, students will become acquainted with the topic at hand by reading one or more relevant articles concerning the topic, as suggested. During each meeting, the lecturer/guest speaker will elaborate on the topic at hand with a lecture, and the students are expected to engage in critical discussion.

Resit
Attendance MandatoryYes

Tests
closed book exam
Test weight40
Test typeExam
OpportunitiesBlock HER, Block SEM2

Remark
NOTE: enrollment for a course automatically registers you for its exam. For participating in the retake, register again.

Assignment
Test weight60
Test typeAssignment
OpportunitiesBlock HER, Block SEM2