Neuroscientific methods in social judgment research: From static snapshots to dynamic processes

Peter Mende-Siedlecki and Leor M. Hackel

Chapter 3 in Research Handbook on Social Judgment, 2026, pp 29-61 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Neuroscientific methods have become an increasingly prevalent tool deployed by researchers studying the psychological processes supporting social judgment. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potential approaches have been leveraged to examine how we evaluate other people based on their appearances and behavior—often revealing the efficiency of the underlying processes. Notably, the initial wave of this research typically used decontextualized paradigms, highlighted static “snapshot” judgments, and prioritized internal validity over ecological validity. While such studies garnered vital insights into the neural bases of initial social judgments, subsequent work refined its approach, using more dynamic tasks and focusing on how our judgments are revised over time. As we look to the future, emerging research employing even richer stimuli and emphasizing unconstrained interactions will yield a more comprehensive understanding of how the brain dynamically processes social information in real-world contexts. This chapter reviews the progression of neuroscientific research on social judgments across this trajectory and aims to anticipate trends exemplifying the next several decades of work in this field.

Keywords: Social Neuroscience; Social Cognition; Person Perception; Mentalizing; Social Learning; Social Judgment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332533
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