Perceiving social interactions in the posterior superior temporal sulcus
Abstract
Humans spend a large percentage of their time perceiving the appearance, actions, and intentions of others, and extensive previous research has identified multiple brain regions engaged in these functions. However, social life depends on the ability to understand not just individuals, but also groups and their interactions. Here we show that a specific region of the posterior superior temporal sulcus responds strongly and selectively when viewing social interactions between two other agents. This region also contains information about whether the interaction is positive (helping) or negative (hindering), and may underlie our ability to perceive, understand, and navigate within our social world.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 09, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1714471114
Entities
People
- David Beeler
- Kami Koldewyn
- Leyla Isik
- Nancy Kanwisher
Organizations
- Bangor University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research Global