Social exclusion has powerful negative consequences and harmful costs affecting mental and emotional well being. This research project advances understanding of social exclusion by examining the patterns of brain activation present during social interactions that lead to exclusion in combination with self-reported emotions measured after exclusion has occurred. In order to accomplish this, the current project will vary the nature of exclusionary social interactions by altering: how frequently participants are included, how long the periods of exclusion last in each interaction, and when exclusion takes place during the social interactions. In addition, participants' social exposure to exclusion is varied prior to their own interactions by having them witness others' social exclusion. After witnessing others' social exclusion, participants engage in a social interaction with those who were previously excluded in the observed interaction or they interact with the people who caused the observed exclusion. Ultimately, this research examines the effects of the degree of exclusion and the subsequent amount of social re-inclusion on patterns of brain activation and measures of participants' feelings to learn more about how people recover from being socially excluded by others. By investigating how exclusion develops, these researchers will be able to understand and eventually predict the subtle cues or changes in social interactions that lead to perceptions of exclusion as well as the negative consequences of those perceptions over time.
Findings from this research will benefit the larger scientific community and society, and will also enhance the training and learning of the undergraduate students who are involved in the research by exposing them to opportunities to present the data, field questions, and explain the impact of the findings. Because Illinois Wesleyan University is a four-year liberal arts school, undergraduates will carry out all of the proposed research projects. At least half of these students have been women and this contributes to gender diversity in neuroscientific research. This proposal will increase awareness of the psychological impact of social exclusion as well as increase enthusiasm for graduate school and careers in science among students. These findings will be disseminated broadly through the preparation of manuscripts, abstracts, and conference presentations.
