1. Social Psychology and Noninvasive Electrical Stimulation
- Author
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Thiago Leiros Costa, Paulo S. Boggio, Lucas Miranda Marques, and Gabriel Gaudencio Rêgo
- Subjects
Social psychology (sociology) ,Transcranial direct-current stimulation ,media_common.quotation_subject ,medicine.medical_treatment ,05 social sciences ,050105 experimental psychology ,Social relation ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Social neuroscience ,Social cognition ,Functional neuroimaging ,Brain stimulation ,medicine ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Prejudice ,Psychology ,Social psychology ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,General Psychology ,media_common ,Cognitive psychology - Abstract
Abstract. Social neuroscience and psychology have made substantial advances in the last few decades. Nonetheless, the field has relied mostly on behavioral, imaging, and other correlational research methods. Here we argue that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an effective and relevant technique to be used in this field of research, allowing for the establishment of more causal brain-behavior relationships than can be achieved with most of the techniques used in this field. We review relevant brain stimulation-aided research in the fields of social pain, social interaction, prejudice, and social decision-making, with a special focus on tDCS. Despite the fact that the use of tDCS in Social Neuroscience and Psychology studies is still in its early days, results are promising. As better understanding of the processes behind social cognition becomes increasingly necessary due to political, clinical, and even philosophical demands, the fact that tDCS is arguably rare in Social Neuroscience research is very noteworthy. This review aims at inspiring researchers to employ tDCS in the investigation of issues within Social Neuroscience. We present substantial evidence that tDCS is indeed an appropriate tool for this purpose.
- Published
- 2016
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