The Neuroscience of Social Behaviour (NEUR3272)

Course overview

This course is designed to give students a working knowledge of current findings in the emerging field of social neuroscience, and the study of brain systems underlying social behaviour. Students will cover basic neuroanatomy and will review research on brain systems underlying face recognition, emotion recognition, attachment, theory of mind, sexual attraction, love and neuroeconomics. Through this process students will learn about a variety of neuroscience methods involving social psychology paradigm: lesion studies, patient research, single-cell recording, and neuroimaging.

In 2006, when launching the new journal "Social Neuroscience," Decety and Keenan wrote: "Social neuroscience may be broadly defined as the exploration of the neurological underpinnings of the processes traditionally examined by, but not limited to, social psychology. This broad description provides a starting point from which we may examine the neuroscience of social behaviour and cognition." Since then, several books and two new journals that cover this exciting and growing field have been published. Social neuroscience uses several methods used in the general field of neuroscience. As such, social neuroscientists tend to take a multi-disciplinary approach when investigating their research interests. Becauseﾠthis field is relatively new, we will be sampling various topics relevant to social behaviour. We will begin the course with a review of basic neuroscience methods, learn (again) some of the major brain structures relevant to social neuroscience, and then proceed by covering a different aspect of social behaviour each week. You will have several opportunities to learn about social neuroscience in this course, but they require active participation in workshops, lecture discussions, and other in-class activities. Assessment consists of several components: a final exam, workshop problem sets, lecture reflections, and a case study assignment.

Course requirements

Assumed background

First-year psychology, second-year social psychology, and second-year neuroscience for psychology (or equivalents).

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

PSYC2020 or NEUR2020

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

PSYC3272

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

This course is designed to give students a working knowledge of current findings in the emerging field of social neuroscience, the study of brain systems underlying social behaviour.ﾠ Lectures will review research on brain systems underlying face recognition, emotion recognition, attachment, theory of mind, prejudice and stereotyping, attraction and sex, attitudes, and neuroeconomics.ﾠ Lectures and class contact will continually refer to three themes:
1.ﾠ Domain-specificity vs. domain-generality:ﾠ is a particular psychological ability, such as the ability to discern eye gaze direction, the result of neurocognitive systems used only in the social domain, or is it the result of more general neurocognitive systems (such as memory, attention) that are used in both social and non-social domains?
2.ﾠ Ecological validity vs. experimental precision:ﾠ Real-world social interactions are complex, dynamic events, with information coming in through multiple channels.ﾠ Thus, when research participants respond to complex, realistic (a.k.a. ecologically valid) social stimuli, it is difficult to know precisely which aspect of the social interaction affected their behaviour.ﾠ Laboratory studies of social cognition tend to isolate a particular aspect of the social world, such as eye gaze direction, or tone of voice, so that it can be precisely controlled in an experiment, and so that clear causal inferences can be drawn.ﾠ What can we infer from studies that use either ecologically valid or experimentally controlled stimuli?ﾠ ﾠ
3.ﾠ Real-world applications:ﾠ What are the consequences in daily living for individuals who have some neurological damage to the neurocognitive systems underlying social behaviour? ﾠ

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

In-Class Mid-Semester Exam

• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

25%

Due date

7/04/2025 - 7/04/2025

Other conditions

Time limited.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Workshop Problem Sets

Mode

Written

Category

Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

15%

Due date

4/03/2025 - 27/05/2025

Learning outcomes

L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submission at end of workshop.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

If you miss a workshop, you should apply to defer the assessment.

If your application is approved, your marks for the problem sets will be re-weighted based on the pieces you submit. This can be done for up to 3 problem sets or reflections, after which you will have to complete alternate assessments to meet the learning outcomes for the course.

Small Group Video--Analyse a Social Behavior

• Team or group-based
• Online

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Creative Production/ Exhibition

Weight

25%

Due date

16/05/2025 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Blackboard TurnItIn

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Applications for extension should be submitted before the due date. Extensions can be requested for (a) the video

submission and/or (b) the individual report. For (a), because this is a group project, all group members must be

granted an extension for submitting the video after the due date. However, for (b) each student's accompanying

report can be granted an extension on their own.

Applications for extension after the due date will only be accepted in exceptional cases (e.g. severe illness,

hospitalization, or for compassionate reasons).

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Final Exam

• Identity Verified
• In-person
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

35%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Students can earn up to 100% of the marks through the various pieces of assessment.ﾠ

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

As per the UQ Assessment policy, "In the case of a group assessment item for which only one mark is awarded irrespective of individual contributions, and at least 50% of the group members agree that the resulting mark does not reflect the group’s performance as measured against the published assessment criteria, those group members can apply for a re-mark."

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Own copy required

You'll need to have your own copy of the following reading resources. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• School of Psychology Student Guidelines