Advanced Social Cognition: Self Awareness, Empathy, & Fairness

A comprehensive set of 60 vocabulary flashcards focused on key concepts related to advanced social cognition, including self-awareness, empathy, and fairness as discussed in Module 13 of the Comparative Psychology course.

Anthropocentrism

The belief that humans are the most important beings and that everything is defined by human standards.

Cognitive Dissonance

Stress caused when actions misalign with personal values.

Anthropodenial

The rejection of similarities between humans and other animals, hindering a full assessment of human nature.

Self Awareness

Understanding oneself as a distinct entity.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have different thoughts and feelings.

Mirror Test

A measure of self-recognition used as a proxy for self-awareness.

Affective Empathy

Emotional mirroring where one shares another's emotional state.

Cognitive Empathy

Deliberate emotional perspective-taking that requires understanding why someone feels a certain way.

Emotional Contagion

The automatic response to others' emotions, such as distress.

Yawn Contagion

A form of emotional contagion where yawning is triggered by seeing or hearing another yawn.

Inequity Aversion

The rejection of unfair outcomes, where social animals protest unequal treatment.

Prosocial Behavior

Actions intended to benefit others.

Spindle Cells

Cells linked to emotional intuition and affective empathy, found in highly social mammals.

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire during one’s own actions and while observing someone else performing the same action.

Co-regulation

Emotional synchrony and bonding established through mutual interaction.

Social Awareness

The ability to perceive and interpret others' emotional cues.

Moral Decision Making

The process of evaluating actions as right or wrong based on emotional judgments.

Emotional Arousal

Heightened emotional responses that can drive empathic action.

Cognitive Flexibility

The ability to adapt one's thinking to new information or perspectives.

Fairness

The instinctive understanding of right and wrong based on reciprocity.

Self-directed Action

Behavior where an individual responds to stimuli relating to themselves.

Emotional Resonance

The capacity to understand and share the feelings of others, often seen in social animals.

Altruism

Selfless behavior intended to benefit others.

Empathy

The ability to share and understand the feelings of others.

Emotional Processing

The mental process of perceiving and interpreting emotions.

Self-Regard

The recognition of oneself in a reflection or context.

Bias in Empathy

The tendency to feel more empathy towards in-group members compared to out-group members.

Reciprocal Relationships

Mutually beneficial interactions between individuals.

Adaptive Responses

Behavioral changes that result from environmental demands or social contexts.

Mindfulness of Emotions

An awareness of one’s own and others' emotional states.

Caring Behaviors

Actions taken to provide for the needs of others emotionally or physically.

Intergroup Conflict

Disputes or hostilities between different social or ethnic groups.

Social Bonding

Connections that develop between individuals due to shared experiences or emotions.

Ethological Observations

Behavioral studies of animals in their natural environments.

Emotional Conflict

Discrepancies between personal feelings and social expectations.

Self-Recognition in Animals

The ability of non-human animals to identify themselves in a mirror.

Social Intelligence

The capacity to navigate and manage complex social relationships.

Empathetic Arousal

The physical and emotional reactions elicited by witnessing another's distress.

Affective Bias

The influence of emotions on perceptions and judgments of others.

Naturalistic Observations

Research conducted in natural settings rather than controlled environments.

Emotional Judgments

Decisions based on feelings rather than logical reasoning.

Emotion-Driven Behaviors

Actions motivated primarily by emotional states.

Social Evolution

The development of social behaviors through evolutionary processes.

Prosocial Motivation

Desire to help others that is driven by emotional factors.

Empathic Precision

The ability to accurately perceive the feelings of others.

Social Connectivity

The extent to which individuals are connected and engaged with others.

Behavioral Measurement

The observance of actions as a means of assessing psychological traits.

Development of Empathy

The process through which an individual acquires the ability to empathize.

Complex Social Interactions

Intricate exchanges between individuals that require consideration of others' feelings.

Reciprocity in Relationships

The mutual exchange of emotions and support between individuals.

Neurobiological Mechanisms of Empathy

Brain structures and functions involved in the experience of empathy.

Moral Cognition

The mental processes underlying moral judgments and decisions.

Cooperative Behavior

Actions performed with others for mutual benefit.

Emotional Understanding in Animals

The ability of certain animals to interpret the emotional states of others.

Altruistic Behavior in Animals

Selfless actions taken by animals that benefit others.

Emotional Intelligence

The capacity to recognize and manage emotions in oneself and others.