Category Archives: Social brain

Education and the social brain: linking language, thinking, teaching and learning

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Giorgio Bertini

Several fields of investigation, including developmental psychology, evolutionary psychology, educational research and neuroscience have begun to recognize the essentially social quality of human cognition, as represented by the concept of the ‘social brain’. In this article, I discuss this concept, … Continue reading →

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Anthropology of the Brain: Consciousness, Culture, and Free Will

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

In this unique exploration of the mysteries of the human brain, Roger Bartra shows that consciousness is a phenomenon that occurs not only in the mind but also in an external network, a symbolic system. He argues that the symbolic … Continue reading →

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Social Brains, Simple Minds: does Social Complexity require Cognitive Complexity?

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

The social brain hypothesis is a well-accepted and well-supported evolutionary theory of enlarged brain size in the non-human primates. Nevertheless, it tends to emphasize an anthropocentric view of social life and cognition. This often leads to confusion between ultimate and … Continue reading →

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The Frames of Cognition

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

In his paper “Socially Extended Mind,” Shaun Gallagher aims to broaden the perspective of the philosophy of  cognitive science and to bring theoretical discussions to new grounds. However, I argue that such comprehensive attempt needs to be worked out and … Continue reading →

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Cultural Intelligence – From Social to Cultural Brain

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

Although the social brain hypothesis has found near-universal acceptance as the best explanation for the evolution of extensive variation in brain size among mammals, it faces two problems. First, it cannot account for grade shifts, where species or complete lineages … Continue reading →

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The Developing Social Brain: Implications for Education

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

This paper discusses the development of the human social brain. First, I will argue that social cognition is uniquely important and describe evidence that social interaction plays a critical role in early brain development. I will then discuss recent research … Continue reading →

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Learning from Others: On social neuroscience

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

The last decade has seen a dramatic rise of interest in the study of social neuroscience. Two observations have had a major role in driving this interest. First, there was the discovery that autism is associated with specific difficulties in … Continue reading →

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The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

As human beings, we cherish our individuality yet we know that we live in constant relationship to others, and that other people play a significant part in regulating our emotional and social behavior. Although this interdependence is a reality of … Continue reading →

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The Social Brain: Psychological Underpinnings and Implications for the Structure of Organizations

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Giorgio Bertini

The social-brain hypothesis refers to a quantitative relationship between social-group size and neocortex volume in monkeys and apes. This relationship predicts a group size of approximately 150 for humans, which turns out to be the typical size of both social … Continue reading →

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Social Connection Makes a Better Brain

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Giorgio Bertini

Matthew Lieberman’s new book Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect about relationships and why relationships are a central—though increasingly absent—part of a flourishing life. Lieberman draws on psychology and neuroscience research to confirm what Aristotle asserted long ago … Continue reading →

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