Chapter 13: Social Cognition
Multiple Choice Questions (1-12)
1. The ability to understand each other as conscious beings with internal mental states
is known as
a. cooperative synchrony
b. mirroring
c. social cognition
d. theory of mind/brain
2. Which of the following is the correct sequence for the components of Baron-Cohen’s
theory of mind model?
a. Intentionality Detector (ID), Eye-direction Director (EDD), Shared Attention
Mechanism (SAM), Theory of Mind Module (TOMM)
b. Theory of Mind Module (TOMM), Shared Attention Mechanism (SAM), Eyedirection Director (EDD), Intentionality Detector (ID)
c. Shared Attention Mechanism (SAM), Intentionality Detector (ID), Eyedirection Director (EDD), Theory of Mind Module (TOMM)
d. Eye-direction Director (EDD), Shared Attention Mechanism (SAM), Theory of
Mind Module (TOMM), Intentionality Detector (ID),
3. The fusiform face area is found in the
a. inferior temporal lobe
b. superior temporal lobe
c. anterior parietal lobe
d. posterior parietal lobe
4. Shared attention is a
a. Singular (one-way)
b. Dyadic (two-way)
c. Triadic (three-way)
d. Quadratic (four-way)
activity.
5. As you arrive in the parking lot of a supermarket, you see a woman walk towards the
market and select a cart. You are mildly surprised when, instead of entering the
market, she pushes the cart into the parking lot towards her car. This is an example
of your
a. incorrectly attributing an intention (‘entering the market with the cart’) to the
woman’s action
b. Intentionality Detector (as described by Baron-Cohen) at work
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c. ability to perceive others’ minds
d. all of the above
6. The skill to detect eyes and determine the direction of gaze
a. is present in humans but not in non-human primates
b. involves triadic (three-way) interactions
c. is a skill that develop slowly throughout life
d. is a fundamental means of communicating mental states in humans
7. Baron-Cohen’s Theory of Mind Module (TOMM) is
a. present in humans and non-human primates but not in other mammals
b. a complex knowledge base containing rules of social cognition
c. present at birth in humans
d. still present in children with developmental delays
8. You are studying for final exams, with books and lectures notes surrounding you at
your desk. Your 2-year old niece comes over to ask you to play with her. Her 5-year
old brother interferes and says: “No, she cannot play now, she has to study.” Your
nephew has a well-developed
a. Intentionality detector
b. Theory of Mind Module
c. Eye-Direction Detector
d. Mirror neuron system
9. Shared attention mechanisms are important for human development because
a. they reflect the understanding that attention is contextually-based
b. they must develop prior to intentionality detection
c. they reflect the knowledge that both persons are not only looking at the same
object or person, but that they each know the other person is also looking at the
item or person
d. all of the above
10. Mutual gaze and shared attention differ in that
a. mutual gaze involves dyadic interactions while shared attention involves triadic
interactions
b. mutual gaze involves triadic interactions while shared attention involves diadic
interactions
c. mutual gaze involves the frontal lobe while shared attention involves the
parietal lobe
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d. mutual gaze is found in non-human primates while shared attention is found in
all mammals
11. Shared attention networks in the brain are mainly found in the
a. medial temporal lobe
b. thalamus
c. parietal lobe
d. frontal lobe
12. The _______ of the fear system, proposed by LeDoux, allows rapid, automatic and
unconscious reactions in response to fragments of stimuli that may be dangerous.
a. parietal road
b. frontal road
c. low road
d. high road
Short Answer Questions (1-3)
1. To what do the terms “high road” and “low road” refer in fear processing?
2. Briefly describe what is meant by a ‘Theory of Mind’ (TOM).
3. Eyes give off many social cues. What are some key cues provided by the eyes
in social interaction?
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