For this Take-Home Exam you will need to address two “Big Picture” topics and questions:
Question #1
First, imagine that you are a researcher that studies face and body perception, empathy, and theory of mind (Woo!). Second, think about a specific social behavior in humans that is of interest to you (e.g., why do we form quick impressions of others, why do people judge others unfairly in some situations, why do we trust some people but not others on the basis of brief encounters?, etc.). Next, discuss the specific social behavior(s) of interest and explain how research on face and body perception, empathy, and/or theory of mind informs (or could inform) an understanding of the social behavior(s). That is, explain, discussing relevant experiments and studies, how research on these topics offers insight into how and why people engage in the social behavior(s) you’ve chosen, and, why the research is relevant for increasing our understanding of people. Be sure to discuss specific brain areas/regions and/or other biological systems that are involved in the social behaviors that you choose to focus on for these questions.
Question #2
Propose one research question that could be investigated by extending the methods and/or findings that you’ve learned about pertaining to self-other representations in the brain. That is, what is one research question, and the rationale for it, that could be explored in the future that would advance our understanding of self-other interactions? For this question, as with the first Take-Home Exam, make a case for why your research question is important and how investigating the question could contribute to an understanding of social interaction. Be sure to discuss specific brain areas/regions and/or other biological systems as they relate to your research question as well as the supporting evidence.
