Handbook of Developmental Social Neuroscience
Handbook of Developmental Social Neuroscience
Article Type: Resource reviews From: Social Care and Neurodisability, Volume 2, Issue 2
Michelle de Haan & Megan R. GunnarGuilford PressNew York, NY2009£51.00 (Paperback)ISBN: 978-1-60623-117-3
First, this is a neuroscience book. It contains a series of densely written and referenced chapters and represents the “state of the art” at the time of writing.
The subject matter is important; the various authors demonstrate the neural underpinnings of a variety of everyday social processes including the development of empathy, bonding and communication. It is also to their credit that they analyse the effect on the brain of early adverse environments (such as parental neglect, abuse and institutionalisation). A number of new techniques have provided windows into the brain, enabling “natural scientists”to develop and test hypotheses.
The book begins by exploring why it is important to study development from a scientific perspective. Reference is made in this first section to “typical”and “atypical” brain development but this idea is not developed within the book, which takes an unashamedly scientific view of human behaviour and does not consider the social context- for instance, who decides what is“atypical” behaviour? Does this idea differ between cultures and times? Perhaps, this is a lot to expect from a scientific textbook but it remains a fundamental question.
The next section on communication is thorough and comprehensive, covering the processing of facial emotions, empathy, gaze perception, mentalising and the evolutionary origins of social communication.
The following section deals with bonding between parents and children and within “romantic” relationships. The biology of monogamy is discussed with reference to prairie voles, which are relatively monogamous, for mammals. In the section on relationships, there is no mention of sexual orientation(although there is a biological literature in this area). Perhaps, the editors steered clear of this area.
The final section of the book deals with a number of pathological states including psychopathy, depression, autism, and the sequelae of institutionalisation, abuse and neglect. Disappointingly, there was very little mention of the potential application of the findings to the clinical and social world. The syntheses of these chapters often did not suggest a practical outcome and lacked clarity.
This book is scholarly and detailed and could be a good starting point for new researchers in the area. The introductory sections on methodology were excellent in this regard, particularly those relating to imaging and neuroanatomy. However, apart from new researchers, I think the audience would be a limited one. Social workers and sociologists may find the contents dense and lacking any mention of the social construction of difference. Established researchers in the area may already find that the references are out of date and prefer to go directly to the primary data, a problem for all traditional textbooks which summarise research.
This is not to undermine the importance of the field. Biology is the final common pathway. Understanding the biology of social development will enable us to answer difficult questions about the role of nature and nurture. This may in turn lead us to a revolution in how we understand and deal with behaviours that are outside of our current social norms. The revolution could occur in the home,the classroom, the courtroom and the workplace. A great example of this is the chapter on psychopathy which suggested an underlying, largely inherited trait (“callous and unemotional”) and an impairment of reinforcement processing(punishment-related conditioning is much more intact than reward-related conditioning). These data, if accurate, could have a major effect on management of psychopathy within society (it could be seen as a disability with adverse social consequences rather than a moral failing) and throw up some uncomfortable challenges (is punishment more likely to alter behaviour than reward? At what cost?)
In conclusion, a thorough milestone in a developing field. It suggests an urgent need for neuroscientists and sociologists to develop shared narratives for understanding human development. So far, these two groups speak very different languages.
If you are interested in writing a review of a book, training resource, or web site for Social Care and Neurodisability or if you would like to suggest a resource suitable for review then please contact the Reviews Editor, Trish Hafford-Letchfield by e-mail: p.hafford-letchfield@mdx.ac.uk or Tel.: +44 (0)20 8318 6211.
Hugh Rickards and Rebecca PlaceBirmingham University, Birmingham, UK
