Following the close mutual relationship between social psychology and social neuroscience, the need to introduce a link between the two has been raised. Chapter 12 sets out to expound on neuroscience, providing the reasons behind its link with social psychology. In addition, cognitive neuroscience has broadened people’s understanding of how the mind, brain, and conduct are related, raising the issue of ‘social culture’, as expressed by our brains. Chapter 13 explains the origin of this social-cognitive neuroscience as a field, whereas chapter 39 discusses the social situation encountered by people. These situations can only be understood from the lessons learned from other disciplines like anthropology, economy, and sociology, which in turn make identifiable the various tasks of the prevailing social life. However, each chapter has its approach in bringing forward the aforementioned respective contents. Why should social and neurosciences be linked?
Chapter 12 answers this question. According to Cacioppo and Berntson (1992), “Contemporary work has demonstrated that theory and methods in the neurosciences can constrain and inspire social psychological hypotheses” (p. 93). There are some crucial areas in the field of psychology that have significantly boosted neuroscience as a subject. For instance, brain imaging, electrophysiological recordings, and neuro-chemical proficiencies, all of which have now been formulated within the area of neuroscience, have raised the possibility of the physiological studying of neural structures. In their approach, the two have acknowledged the partaking of the characteristic differences “in cardiac sympathetic reactivity to peoples’ susceptibility to illness” (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1992, p.93), noting the crucial function of experience to interpersonal life, as part of the social plane. I do concur with this approach because it is a work that takes into account the fact that both health and immunity are intertwined and that the two will be deficient in the exclusion of social and biological perspectives. The interaction of brains is no more than a social picture as expounded in chapter 13.
The brain, mind, and behavior are related to a large extent. Cacioppo and Berntson come in handy here in explaining how the brain performs some vital roles, which on the other hand contribute towards behavior, not only of people but also of every other animal. It stands out that it is the brains that make people and animals realize others’ desires and feelings, which is the origin of popular social interaction. Chapter 13 tackles this study from a bidirectional perspective, showing how two minds exercise a mutual interaction in the course of developing each other. To show how this social interaction comes about, attributions of other peoples’ states of mind have been established based on their evident behavior. In addition, the studies of the mechanisms behind ‘emulation’ and the illustration of other peoples’ objectives have also been carried out. Therefore, based on these expositions, I agree with this bidirectional approach of social interaction since it makes clear that the knowledge therein “…helps answer the questions about the relative contributions of cognitive and emotional processes for economic and social decision making” (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1992, p.100). The understanding of other disciplines can help tell the nature of social situations as chapter 39 explains.
Since there exists no research describing the various categories of situations that people should tolerate as well as the challenges they face, Holmes (2000), comes in with the argument that “…much could be gained by social psychology through building bridges to disciplines such as…” (p. 483). In his suggestions, he claims that it is this knowledge of the tasks encountered by people that tell the means they develop in responding to realism. To identify these social tasks, as developed through other subjects, he establishes the Social psychological theory of personality development which holds that, “…the major dimensions of personality can be deduced from a ‘bottom up’ analysis of…in their interdependence with others” (Holmes, 2000, p.479). I also harmonize with this theoretical approach because it takes into consideration the fact that social life is not only a psychological creation, but a couple of it with other disciplines like anthropology, economics, and sociology.
Reference List
Cacioppo, J., & Berntson, G. (1992). Social Psychological Contribution to the Decade Of The Brain: Decade of the Multilevel Analysis. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Holmes, J. (2000). Social Relationships: The Nature and Functional Schemas. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 447-496.