Putting the Nonsocial Into Social Neuroscience: A Role for Domain-General Priority Maps During Social Interactions

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Daily life involves extensive social information processing.
• Current social neuroscience research overemphasizes specialized neural processes.
• This focus creates unrealistic expectations for understanding social behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for hybrid models in social neuroscience.
• To propose integrating specialized person representations with domain-general mechanisms.
• To re-evaluate neural mechanisms underlying social information processing.

Main Methods:

• Describing and evaluating a hybrid model of social information processing.
• Reviewing neurobiological evidence across multiple decades, methods, and species.
• Comparing the proposed hybrid model with existing frameworks.

Main Results:

• The hybrid model generates novel, falsifiable predictions.
• The model is supported by extensive neurobiological evidence.
• It challenges the necessity of domain-specific mechanisms for social behavior.

Conclusions:

• Social neuroscience requires hybrid models for advancement.
• Domain-general mechanisms like prioritization are crucial for social processing.
• This integrated approach reframes understanding of neural contributions to social behavior.