Resources — Educational
Several courses offered at NYU that are relevant to the area of social neuroscience. Descriptions of each course, as well as more detailed information, are included below. NYU also hosts a Social Neuroscience Speaker Series. Information about the series can also be found below.
Relevant Courses (doctoral)
Social Neuroscience
This course provides an overview of topics in the emerging field of Social Neuroscience. We will focus on how theories and methods of neuroscience may be used to address classic questions of social psychology from new and informative angles. The goal of this course is to give you a broad background in social neuroscience so that you may (a) be a critical consumer of this literature, (b) broaden the way you think about connections between the mind, brain, and behavior in the context of the social world, and (c) most importantly, apply these ideas to inform your own program of research.
Affective Neuroscience
Introduction to neural basis of affect and affect disorders from the basic neural mechanism of affect in animals, to interaction of affective and cognitive processes in humans. Topics include: mammalian emotions; fear acquisition and extinction; anxiety disorders and PTSD; memory, attention and emotion; self and emotion; mirror neurons, empathy and the theory of mind; higher states of consciousness.
Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Provides a detailed background in four major areas: (1) neuroanatomy of the brain and spinal cord; (2) cognitive neuroscience, including discussions of consciousness, cognitive neuroscience techniques, as well as high-level sensory perception/recognition; (3) learning memory and emotion, including conditioning and motivation; and (4) cellular mechanisms of plasticity.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lab
This course covers the major topics and issues in the field of fMRI. With this background, students will be able to design and implement their own fMRI experiments. There are weekly lab projects that will involve acquiring and analyzing fMRI data, and submitted written lab reports. Final grades are based on the lab reports. The lectures provide background information useful in performing the labs, along with additional information for a broader and deeper understanding of fMRI methods. Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Psychology or Neural Science or permission of the instructors. Recommended: some experience with Matlab programming, statistics, and linear algebra.
Foundations of Social Cognition
Introduction to the historical roots of and current trends in social cognition. Stages in information processing (including attention, categorization, explanation, inference, and recall) and their relation to judgment, behavior, and social issues, such as prejudice and discrimination. Also the role of situational and personality mediators.
Relevant Courses (undergraduate)
Social Neuroscience
This course provides an overview of topics in the emerging field of Social Neuroscience. We will focus on how theories and methods of neuroscience may be used to address classic questions of social psychology from new and informative angles. The goal of this course is to give you a broad background in social neuroscience so that you may (a) be a critical consumer of this literature, (b) broaden the way you think about connections between the mind, brain, and behavior in the context of the social world, and (c) most importantly, apply these ideas to inform your own ideas and future research in psychology.
Cognitive Neuroscience of Emotion
This seminar will examine what is known about neural systems mediating emotion and cognition in humans. Topics covered will include: Fear learning, Controlling fears, Emotion’s influence on memory, attention and perception, and Emotion and social behavior. The course will consist of reading primary articles that students are expected to present and discuss.
Laboratory in Cognitive Neuroscience
The major approaches to cognitive neuroscience will be discussed from a practical point of view, including imaging and neuropsychological patient data. The core component of the class will be hands-on: students will design, execute, and analyze an electrophysiological experiment using EEG or MEG.
Laboratory in Personality and Social Psychology
Methodology and procedures of personality and social psychological research and exercises in data analysis and research design. Statistical concepts such as reliability and validity, methods of constructing personality measures, merits and limitations of correlational and experimental research designs, and empirical evaluation of theories. Student teams conduct research projects.
Speaker Series
The NYU Social Neuroscience Speaker Series is held Thursdays at 4:00 in Meyer room 551. Speakers come from universities around the world to discuss their latest research and meet with faculty and students. A list of past speakers can be viewed below. For a list of upcoming speakers, please see our events page below.
events page
2005-2006
Susan Fiske, Princeton University
Alexander Todorov, Princeton University
Marcia Johnson, Yale University
Joseph LeDoux, New York University
Ida Gobbini, Dartmouth College
Kevin Ochsner, Columbia University
2006-2007
Asif Ghazanfar, Princeton University
William Cunningham, The Ohio State University
Bruce McEwen, Rockefeller University
2007-2008
Ahmad Hariri, Duke University
Wendy Suzuki, New York University
Stephen Morse, University of Pennsylvania
Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Eddie Harmon-Jones, Texas A&M University
2008-2009
Jay Van Bavel, The Ohio State University
Jennifer Beer, University of Texas-Austin
Antonio Rangel, California Institute of Technology