Neural and Social Networks

Network

It is a set of connected units.

Social Network

It consists of social actors, such as individuals or organizations, and the relationships linking them.

Connection

It joins people or groups.

Relationship

It describes how they regard and behave toward one another.

Dyadic Tie

It connects two actors.

Triad

It involves three.

Nodes

In a network map, actors are these.

Ties / Links

In a network map, the relationships of the actors are these.

Networking

It means building and maintaining connections. It helps people pool resources, exchange knowledge, gain support, plan activities, and solve problems. Close contacts and less frequent contacts can both contribute to learning.

Good Relationships

It depends on respect, sincerity, mutual understanding, and support.

Person

It belongs to several overlapping networks, such as a family, class, friendship group, and community organization.

Social Network Analysis

It examines patterns of connections, influential actors, and changes in relationships.

Sociogram

It is a diagram of social relationships.

George Simmel

He studied triads and group affiliations.

Jacob Moreno

It developed sociograms in the 1930s.

Biological Neural Network

It consists of connected neurons and nerve cells that transmit and process information.

Brain

It is the nervous system’s command center.

Central Nervous System ( CNS )

It contains the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System

It contains the ganglion and nerve that connect them with the rest of the body.

Artificial Neural Network ( ANN )

It is a computer model made of connected processing units. It is but its units perform mathematical operations.

Neuron

It carries information through electrical and chemical signals.

Dendrites

It receives many incoming signals.

Cell Body / Soma

It integrates the signals.

Axon

It carries an outgoing signal toward its terminals.

Typical Signal Route

Dendrites → Cell Body → Axon → Axon Terminals → Synapse → Receiving Cell

Main Parts of the Brain

• Cerebrum

• Cerebellum

• Brainstem

Cerebrum

Largest part; supports thinking, learning, memory, sensory interpretation, speech, and voluntary movement.

Cerebellum

Coordinates movement and helps maintain posture and balance.

Brainstem

Connects the brain with the spinal cord and regulates vital automatic functions, including breathing and heart rate.

Corpus Callosum

The cerebrum has left and right hemispheres, joined by this. Each hemisphere mainly controls the opposite side of the body. Some functions are more strongly associated with one side, but the hemispheres work together.

The Four Lobes

• Frontal

• Parietal

• Temporal

• Occipital

Frontal Lobe

Planning, judgment, problem solving, voluntary movement, and speech production.

Parietal Lobe

Processes touch, pain, temperature, and spatial information.

Temporal Lobe

Hearing, language comprehension, and memory.

Occipital Lobe

Processes visual information.

Broca’s Area

It is associated with speech production.

Wernicke’s Area

It is associated with language comprehension.

Aphasia

It is a language impairment caused by brain damage.

Language

It invovles connected regions rather than one isolated area.

Cerebeal Cortex

It is the folded outer layer of the cerebrum.

Gyrus

It is a raised fold.

Sulcus

It is a groove.

Grey Matter

It contains many neuronal cell bodies.

White Matter

It contains many myelinated axons connecting regions.

Thalamus

Relays much sensory information to the cortex.

Hypothalamus

Regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and other internal conditions.

Pituitary Gland

Releases hormones affecting growth and other endocrine glands; works under hypothalamic control.

Pineal Gland

Releases melatonin, helping regulate sleep and daily rhythms.

Basal Ganglia

Help regulate movement and learned motor routines.

Limbic System

Supports emotion, learning, and memory.

Amygdala

It contributes to emotional responses.

Hippocampus

It helps form new memories.

Memory

It involves encoding information, storing it, and retrieving or recalling it.

Short-term Memory

It briefly holds limited information.

Long-term Memory

It retains facts and experiences.

Skill or Procedural Memory

It supports learned actions such as cycling. The cerebellum and basal ganglia contribute to these skills.

Glial Cells

It nourishes, protects, and supports neurons.

Astrocytes

It helps maintain the chemical environment and blood-brain barrier.

Oligodendrocytes

It forms myelin.

Myelin

It insulates CNS axons and speeds signals.

Ependymal Cells

It lines the ventricles; specialized cells help produce cerebrospinal fluid.

Microglia

It provides immune defense and remove debris.

Skull

It protects the brain.

Meninges

These are three protective layers, which are the duramater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater, from outermost to innermost.

Ventricles

These are fluid-filled spaces.

Cerebrospinal Fluid ( CSF )

It circulates around the brain and spinal cord and cushions them.

Choroid Plexus

It is what produces the cerebrospinal fluid.

Internal Carotid & Vertebral Arteries

They supply the brain.

Circle of Willis

It connects major arterial routes and may provide an alternative route for blood flow.

Venous Sinuses

It drains blood mainly into the internal jugular veins.

12 Pairs of Cranial Nerves

They carry sensory and/or motor information. Their functions include smell, vision, eye movement, facial sensation and movement, hearing, balance, taste, swallowing, and tongue movement.

Vagus Nerve

It also helps regulate internal organs, including the heart and digestive system.

Artificial Neural Network ( ANN )

Also called a connectionist system, it learns patterns from daya through connected artificial units.

Input Layer

It receives data.

Hidden Layer

It processes data.

Output Layer

It produces a data result.

Weights

It determines how strongly inputs affect a unit.

Activation Function

It determines its output.

Threshold

In some simple models, activation requires crossing this.

Training

It adjusts the network’s parameters using examples.

Back Propagation

Drror information is used to calculate how weights contributed to an error. A learning algorithm then uses this information to adjust the weights.

Dynamic Networks

They can also change their connections or units according to rules.

Parallelism

It means similarity in structure or function.

Neurons and Social Actors

They are the nodes.

Synapses and Social Relationships

They are the links.