The social brain: how social cues guide our behaviors
NEURO 101TT
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Living in a social world requires more than perceiving our physical surroundings. We must identify others, learn from their actions, and infer their intentions. These capacities make up our social cognition and allow humans and many animals to both cooperate and compete. In this tutorial, we will examine the neural mechanisms that support social cognition across species, including mice, rats, monkeys, bats, and humans, progressing from social perception (how we identify and remember others) to social learning (how we track others’ goals and learn from others’ experiences) to social interactions (how we coordinate our behavior to cooperate or compete). We will discuss new technologies for tracking naturalistic behavior, recording neural activity from multiple animals, and manipulating neural circuits. Through student-led discussions, students will learn to read primary research articles, interpret results, and develop testable questions. This course will culminate in an original research proposal presented as a scientific poster.
Class Notes
Enrollment for this course will be via lottery with preference given to junior Neuroscience concentrators. Lottery instructions, deadlines, and a link to the google form can be found here: https://www.mcb.harvard.edu/undergraduate/neuroscience/neuro-courses/?course-button=tutorials. Only one Neuro 101 tutorial may count towards the Neuroscience concentration or secondary requirements.
Recommended Prep
Prerequisite (strictly enforced): Neuro/MCB 80
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
