Project Description

A project addressing this topic will look at how the experience of behavioural contingencies in social interaction carries an intrinsic reward that can drive development of motor and social skills, using eye-tracking of people interacting with virtual faces or each other, which has previously been shown to activate the brain’s reward system. However, whereas this reward appears to be linked specifically to when I make someone else follow my gaze, it is unclear what causes this reward.

There is increasing evidence that, rather than higher social cognitive processes forming the basis of our social interactions, it is social interaction that serves to bootstrap not just proficiency in such interaction, but also higher cognitive processes. But what drives interaction? Could it be that the prime reason that we interact and communicate with each other and keep coming back for more is not to exchange information, but simply because it makes us feel good? As a social species, individuals who enjoy interaction, for whom it carries intrinsic reward, have an evolutionary advantage, in that the consequence of this will be that they not only exchange information more efficiently, but also bond more efficiently.

There have been a number of studies that looked at for instance the effect of a smile on what we learn, or the effect of approval of authority figures. However, both are things that we can observe, from a distance, from across a one-way mirror as it were. But what does live social interaction bring to the table? Social interaction differs from observation of others in a number of ways, and a crucial one is that it allows us to see the effect of our actions upon others, the contingencies between my own actions and that of the other person. Is that enough to experience reward? This is the basic question, but a number of related questions are equally important: (1) What causes this reward? Is there a social aspect, or does the social environment simply have a number of properties that make action contingencies highly rewarding? (2) Does the rewarding nature of a social action have to be learned? And can it be trained? Let’s assume that there is nothing inherently special about social reward, it’s just action contingencies between you and me. Then in principle when I look one way, and you follow my gaze, or alternatively you systematically look somewhere else, then this should carry comparable reward? But perhaps this is not the case, and social contingencies only carry the reward that social convention says they should have. (3) To what degree do social contingencies have to be imitative or complementary? Is it more rewarding when you do the same as I do, or is it more rewarding when I for instance you nod each time I make a specific hand gesture? (4) Are contingencies between my own actions and other persons or things more or less rewarding when we perceive agency in the other? I can push a button on a vending machine and get the product I want, but this will probably be less rewarding than when I manage to get the appropriate response from a more complex machine — or from another human. (5) Can we model this reward-based learning? What are the associated patterns of brain activity over time?

All these questions serve to answer the overarching one: how exactly is social interaction rewarding and what can this reward accomplish in terms of learning? If this is what makes you tick, and you are interested in a project focusing on any, or a subset, of the above questions, contact me.

Candidates must hold (or be expected to obtain) an Upper Second Class honours degree in Psychology or cognate discipline as a minimum requirement. Additional research experience would be an advantage. Applications must be made through the University of Aberdeen applicant portal: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply.php. Applications must include: 1) An on-line form completed through the applicant portal. 2) A project proposal, maximum length 1 x A4 page including background, aims and suggestions for 2-3 studies to address the aims. A reference list can be added on a second page if you wish. Applicants can liaise with the supervisor when developing their proposal. 3) Two academic references – please attach the references to the application or include full referee contact details. 4) A CV outlining your academic qualifications and research experience to date. If possible, it would be useful to add an academic transcript.
Funding Notes

These competitive studentships are fully funded for 3 years. Studentships will commence in October 2016, and will cover your tuition fees (at UK/EU level) as well as a maintenance grant. In 2015-16 the maintenance grant for full-time students was £14,057 per annum. You will also receive a computer and office space, and access to research training courses offered by the School of Psychology and the University of Aberdeen. There is further information about research in the School of Psychology here: View Website.

References

Schilbach, L. and Timmermans, B., Reddy, V., Costall, A., Bente, G., Schlicht, T., & Vogeley, K. (2013). Toward a second-person neuroscience. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(4), 393–414. (Target Article) doi:10.1017/S0140525X12000660
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/psychology/research/index.php