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Cited by 443Child and Animal Learning DevelopmentAction Observation and SynchronizationPrimate Behavior and Ecology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 103 of the 104 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The social brain: allowing humans to boldly go where no other species has been

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Frith, Uta, Frith, Chris·2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rstb.2009.0160PMC PMC2842701
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Abstract

The biological basis of complex human social interaction and communication has been illuminated through a coming together of various methods and disciplines. Among these are comparative studies of other species, studies of disorders of social cognition and developmental psychology. The use of neuroimaging and computational models has given weight to speculations about the evolution of social behaviour and culture in human societies. We highlight some networks of the social brain relevant to two-person interactions and consider the social signals between interacting partners that activate these networks. We make a case for distinguishing between signals that automatically trigger interaction and cooperation and ostensive signals that are used deliberately. We suggest that this ostensive signalling is needed for ‘closing the loop’ in two-person interactions, where the partners each know that they have the intention to communicate. The use of deliberate social signals can serve to increase reputation and trust and facilitates teaching. This is likely to be a critical factor in the steep cultural ascent of mankind.

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Crossref · 10.1098/rstb.2009.0160

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Figures

Figure 1. Observation of biological motion elicits activity in STS. The schematic figure shows regions where observation of many different kinds of biological motion elicits activity along STS (adapted from Allison, Puce & McCarthy, Trends Cogn. Sci. 2000).
Figure 1. Observation of biological motion elicits activity in STS. The schematic figure shows regions where observation of many different kinds of biological motion elicits activity along STS (adapted from Allison, Puce & McCarthy, Trends Cogn. Sci. 2000).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2. Areas of activity elicited by watching triangles whose movements evoke attributions of intentions. Activity is seen in extra-striate areas (a and b) specific to the visual nature of the stimuli as well as in (a) temporal pole, (c) STS and (d) medial prefrontal cortex, regions where activity has been elicited by a wide range of tasks evoking mentalizing. The diagram (e) contrasts activity in these areas in volunteers with Asperger's syndrome (dark blue) and controls (light blue). Asperger individuals showed less activity in areas associated with mentalizing: basal temporal, STS, medial prefrontal, but not extra-striate regions (based on data from Castelli et al. 2002).
Figure 2. Areas of activity elicited by watching triangles whose movements evoke attributions of intentions. Activity is seen in extra-striate areas (a and b) specific to the visual nature of the stimuli as well as in (a) temporal pole, (c) STS and (d) medial prefrontal cortex, regions where activity has been elicited by a wide range of tasks evoking mentalizing. The diagram (e) contrasts activity in these areas in volunteers with Asperger's syndrome (dark blue) and controls (light blue). Asperger individuals showed less activity in areas associated with mentalizing: basal temporal, STS, medial prefrontal, but not extra-striate regions (based on data from Castelli et al. 2002).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3. Motor resonance is modified by social interaction. Magnetoencephalography signals were measured while volunteers watched a video of an actor moving their left or right arm up and down (lower panel). Oscillations in the alpha-frequency range were relatively greater in parietal cortex contralateral to the hand being observed (middle panels), but only when the actor was facing the observer (adapted from Kilner, Marchant & Frith, Soc. Cogn. Affect Neurosci. 2006).
Figure 3. Motor resonance is modified by social interaction. Magnetoencephalography signals were measured while volunteers watched a video of an actor moving their left or right arm up and down (lower panel). Oscillations in the alpha-frequency range were relatively greater in parietal cortex contralateral to the hand being observed (middle panels), but only when the actor was facing the observer (adapted from Kilner, Marchant & Frith, Soc. Cogn. Affect Neurosci. 2006).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 4. Activity is elicited in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) by the experience of pain in the self (green line in graph on right) and by a signal indicating that a loved one is receiving pain (red line in graph on right) (adapted from Singer et al., Science 2004).
Figure 4. Activity is elicited in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) by the experience of pain in the self (green line in graph on right) and by a signal indicating that a loved one is receiving pain (red line in graph on right) (adapted from Singer et al., Science 2004).CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 5. Activity is elicited when volunteers play the inspector game. The upper panel (a) shows activity elicited in left and right STS when the opponents' move is not what the players expect on the basis of how much influence they think they are exerting on their opponents. The lower panel (b) shows that there is more activity in medial prefrontal cortex in players who base their strategy on working out how much influence they have on their opponents. Yellow: p < 0.001; light orange: p < 0.05; dark orange p < 0.01. Adapted from Hampton, Bossaerts & O'Doherty, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 2008. Copyright (2008) National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Figure 5. Activity is elicited when volunteers play the inspector game. The upper panel (a) shows activity elicited in left and right STS when the opponents' move is not what the players expect on the basis of how much influence they think they are exerting on their opponents. The lower panel (b) shows that there is more activity in medial prefrontal cortex in players who base their strategy on working out how much influence they have on their opponents. Yellow: p < 0.001; light orange: p < 0.05; dark orange p < 0.01. Adapted from Hampton, Bossaerts & O'Doherty, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 2008. Copyright (2008) National Academy of Sciences, USA.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Hoffman E., 1996, Social distance and other-regarding behaviour in dictator games, Am. Econ. Rev., 86, 653

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Metadata

Authors
Frith, U., & Frith, C.
Affiliations
  • ICN, UCL, 17 Queen Square, London, UK
  • Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
ORCID
Frith, Chris
Venue
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
2010-01-12
Volume
365
Issue
1537
Pages
165-176
ISSN
  • 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-2970
DOI
10.1098/rstb.2009.0160
PMC
PMC2842701
OpenAlex
W2124884997
Cited by
443
References
104
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 49 · 2013: 42 · 2012: 34
FWCI
38.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Research Foundation
  • Danmarks Grundforskningsfond
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Primate Behavior and Ecology
Keywords
social brain, social cognition, social communication, two-person interaction, cooperation, reputation, trust, teaching, cultural evolution, evolution of social behavior, social brain network
MeSH terms
Brain, Cognition, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Nerve Net, Social Behavior

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