fMRI and Cognition PSY2002

How does fMRI work

Measures brain activity via BOLD signal

BOLD signal

Blood Oxygen Level Dependent signal

reflects oxygen rich blood flow to active brain areas

Adams et al. (2010)

Used fMRI to examine cross-cultural differences in decoding mental states from the eyes

Adams et al. (2010) findings

Found that bilateral pSTS showed culturally tuned activity, despite consistent behavioural performance

Adams concluded

fMRI reveals neural mechanisms underpinning social cognition

Kana et al. (2016)

Investigated emotional processing in autistic vs NT individuals

Kana et al. (2016) Findings

Although behaviour was similar, fMRI showed reduced MPFC and pSTS activation in autistic individuals during implicit (but not explicit) emotion processing.

Kana concluded

fMRI can detect subtle neural differences in cognitive processing not observable through behavioural measures.

Autistic Individual Differences

Autistic individuals showed diminished MPFC and pSTS activity during implicit emotion recognition,

Suggests differences in spontaneous emotional processing

How can fMRI inform us on individual differences?

Highlights latent cognitive processing styles, contributing to understanding ND and informing interventions

Second-person neuroscience

Focuses on interactive social processes, studying participants during live interactions

Hyperscanning

Simultaneous fMRI of two interacting individuals (dual-brain studies).

Anders et al. (2011)

Romantic partners expressed and observed emotions.

Anders et al. (2011) findings

Researchers found shared brain network activation, with better classification accuracy when viewing one's partner compared to strangers.

Anders concluded

Social brain activity is shaped by the relationship between individuals and the interactivity of the task.

Second person neuroscience enhances understanding of:

Brain regions involved in social cognition

Interpersonal synchrony

Potential explanations for social deficits in disorders like autism.

The Brain-as-Predictor Framework

posits that neural activity measured during lab tasks can forecast future behaviours outside the lab.

The Brain-as-Predictor Framework steps

Hypothesise which brain regions are involved in a target cognitive process.

Measure brain activity during relevant tasks + collect behavioural outcome data.

Test whether neural activation predicts the real-world outcome.

The Brain-as-Predictor Framework Applications

Predicting health behaviours, e.g., whether brain responses to anti-smoking ads forecast quitting.

Understanding decision-making, habit change, and personality-linked behaviours.

fMRI conclusion

➤ Conclusion: fMRI goes beyond descriptive mapping—it can be used predictively, with implications for fields like marketing, clinical interventions, and public health.