The Social Cognitive Neuroscience of Infancy: Illuminating the Early Development of Social Brain Functions

Abstract

Publisher Summary A distinct network of cortical and sub-cortical structures is selectively activated when information about fellow humans is presented. This network has been termed the “social brain” and the specific field of research around it has become known as “social (cognitive) neuroscience.” Studying the social brain in infancy is important not only for the developmental psychologists but also for those interested in fundamental questions about the adult system. This chapter illustrates how adopting a developmental cognitive neuroscience approach sheds light on how the social brain network emerges during infancy. It is believed that the combination of neuroscience, cognitive, and behavioral studies has significantly advanced the understanding in this foundational area of neuroscience.