Japanese Journal of Physiological Psychology and Psychophysiology
Online ISSN : 2185-551X
Print ISSN : 0289-2405
ISSN-L : 0289-2405
Volume 28, Issue 1
Displaying 1-7 of 7 articles from this issue
Special Issue
  • Hideki OHIRA
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 1-4
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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  • Jean Decety, John T. Cacioppo
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 5-16
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Social neuroscience investigates the biological mechanisms that underlie social structures, processes and behavior as well as the influence of these social structures, processes, and behaviors on the brain and biology. Such an endeavor is challenging because it necessitates the integration of multiple levels. Mapping across systems and levels (from genome to cultures) requires interdisciplinary expertise, comparative studies, innovative methods, and integrative conceptual analysis. Recent work on empathy constitutes a successful example of bridging across levels of analysis. We conclude by discussing some important societal implications of social neuroscience.
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  • An event-related fMRI study
    Yosuke MORIOKA, Masaki FUKUNAGA, Chuzo TANAKA, Masahiro UMEDA, Asuka N ...
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 17-27
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    It is widely believed that the amygdala plays the central role for emotion processing. However, most evidences have been derived from fearful stimuli, and there have been less evidence that the amygdala respond to other emotions particularly to positive emotions such as happiness. To investigate whether the amygdala plays the central role for emotion processing in general, 10 right-handed healthy participants (2 males and 8 females, 24.5±2.1years old) were passively shown morphed dynamic emotional facial expressions (happiness, anger, sadness, and neutral) while they were scanned on an event-related fMRI. Whole-brain fMRI results revealed greater activation within the right amygdala, left globus-pallidus, and medial prefrontal cortex during viewing both angry and happy faces compared with the neutral face. However, these activations were not observed during viewing sad face. These results suggest that the amygdala plays the central role in processing not only negative but also positive emotions and that the amygdala is not activated by threat signals as has often been suggested. More detailed investigation will be necessary for sad emotion.
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  • Current status of studies on ostracism from social neuroscience
    Keiichi ONODA
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 29-44
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Humans are social animals, and therefore, we experience painful feelings when we are excluded from relationships that we desire. This negative feeling is known as social pain. Evidence from numerous animal and neuroimaging Iiterature suggest that physical and social pain overlap in their function, as well as in the underlying neural circuitry. We have reviewed evidence suggesting that the anterior cingulate cortex plays a key role in physical and social pain, and that opioids, which are related to the decreased perception of physical pain, also decreases the perception of social pain. Furthermore, evolutionary and developmental changes in social pain, as well as individual difference in social pain sensitivity, are discussed. In the section on individual differences, both congenital (genetic) and acquired (social) factors are reviewed. We have also examined the effects of emotional support during ostracism. Finally, we have suggested a new perspective for social pain studies.
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  • Takashi NAKAO, Hideki OHIRA, Georg NORTHOFF
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 45-55
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Most experimental studies of decision making have specifically examined situations in which one correct answer exists, which is either high- or low-predictable. Low predictability of the outcome, as for instance manipulated by probability or social context, has been described psychologically by the concept of uncertainty. Nevertheless, unlike the cases described above, there are instances of decision making for which there is no correct answer at all. In this manuscript, we present a review and comparison of decision making studies with and without a correct answer with regard to their recruitment of various regions within the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Our findings demonstrate neural overlap between decision making with a low-predictable correct answer and decision making without a correct answer, especially in the dorsomedial part of the MPFC. The results raise several questions about the concept of uncertainty and the function of the MPFC.
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  • Takahiro OSUMI, Hideki OHIRA
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 57-66
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Neural basis of adaptation to social environment Remarkable upgrading of neuroscience has provided useful methods and knowledge in order to understand neurophysiological grounds of theories in social science. Previous studies focusing on the social exchange theory have revealed that social preference for altruistic behavior or norm compliance stems from brain regions related with reward prediction or risk evaluation, which suggests that a basic biological mechanism of adaptive behaviors applies to the case of social behaviors. According to this background, the current review summarizes empirical findings that have shown neural basis of social behaviors in humans and discuss its adaptive roles from a perspective of evolutional theory. Especially, we focus on reciprocal exchanges with others as a source of social behaviors acquired by the adaptive mechanism of brain.
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  • Yuka OZAKI
    2010 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 67-74
    Published: 2010
    Released on J-STAGE: August 26, 2011
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Social cognition research has been developed mainly with methodologies in social psychology since its early years. Social neuroscience, originated in 1990s, has promoted a great expansion of social cognition research by bringing in a new perspective and methodologies, and there is a growing expectation for future research. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how social cognition research has benefitted from the emergence of social neuroscience. The benefits are discussed from the following perspectives; (a) examination of hypothetical concepts, (b) examination of psychological processes, and (c) examination of unconscious processes.
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