Brain Imaging Studies

Although we never directly perceive the mental states of others, humans are nevertheless proficient mind readers⎯we are rarely stumped by what other people are thinking or feeling. How, then, do we make sense of the goings-on inside another person’s mind? Over the past two decades, a surprising answer has been suggested by research investigating the neural basis of such social abilities: the human brain appears to have dedicated systems for understanding other minds. This talk will review this brain imaging work, and discuss the implications for the unique aspects of human social cognition.