Nineteen international academics, researchers, and consultants contribute 12 articles reflecting the different levels of regulation in organizational behavior and offering various perspectives on the emotional aspects of organizing work relationships. Following an opening article presenting an agenda for the field of organizational cognitive neuroscience, the remaining essays provide a methodological approach to organizational cognitive neuroscience, incorporating affective insights about the workplace; explore the importance of positive emotions in the workplace; and examine how the workplace can become a toxic environment. A sampling of topics: hormonal and genetic influences on processing reward and social information, neural correlates of corporate camaraderie and teamwork, and being fed up--a social cognitive neuroscience approach to mental satiation. No subject index. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Social cognitive neuroscience is an emerging branch of cognitive neuroscience that bridges together social psychology and neuroscience. At its core is an understanding of the relationship between the brain and social interaction.
The social cognitive neuroscientist places empirical endeavor within a three-stage framework, and questions falling under the SCN rubric undergo interrogation at each of these three levels. Firstly, we seek to understand a neuroscience of social interactions at the social level. Here we need to understand the motivational and other social factors that drive our behavior and experience in the real world.
It goes without saying that any study of the cognitive neuroscience of socially interactive behavior must first be informed by social psychological theory to maintain ecological validity. Second, the social cognitive neuroscientist must be an adroit cognitive psychologist and be able to examine interactive behavior from the cognitive level. It is here that information-processing models and theories are applied to the understanding of our social behavior. Finally, studies at the neural level seek to inform us about the cortical structures, as well as the way they interact with other, in the mediation of the previous cognitive level.
This volume brings together contributions from leading thinkers in both the social cognitive neurosciences and business to provide a comprehensive introduction and overview of a social cognitive neuroscience of the business brain.
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