Lecture 1 - Introduction

The Social Brain: Critical Perspectives on Science, Society and Neurodiversity

Richard Ramsey

Today


Part 1

  • Introduction to the course


Part 2

  • Read articles and discuss



Part 1 - Introduction

Who will be teaching?


  • Dr. Richard Ramsey
  • Please just call me Rich
  • I’m originally from Leeds (UK)
  • BSc. and PhD (University of Birmingham, UK)
  • Postdoctoral work (UK and Belgium)
  • Since 2011, I’ve co-directed a cognitive neuroscience lab as a faculty member at Bangor University (UK) and Macquarie University (Australia)
  • I’ve been at ETH since 2023

What are my lab’s research interests?

Themes

  • Cognitive neuroscience
  • Person perception
  • Loneliness
  • Meta science
  • Open science

Methods

  • Experimental psychology
  • Human neuroscience (e.g., fMRI)
  • “Big Data”
  • Computational modelling
  • Pupillometry

[https://www.rich-ramsey.com]

Course website

Contact details


  • Speak to me in class - this is the best place to raise questions and discuss ideas.


  • Email: richard.ramsey [at] hest.ethz.ch

Notes on lectures



  • Slides will be posted on the course website before each lecture.


  • Most important of all: if you don’t understand something, then PLEASE interrupt me and ask a question. No doubt other students in the class are stuck with the same issue.


Part 1 - Syllabus

Course content

Themes

  • Research quality and integrity

  • Social neuroscience

  • Neurodiversity

Skills

  • Critical evaluation of scientific evidence, data and theory
  • Develop independent thinking skills
  • Appreciate how understanding neurodiversity impacts basic research and society in general

Learning Outcomes

  • To examine critically how neuroscientific concepts, theories, and findings relate to broader historical, moral, and social contexts, enhancing reflective competencies.

  • To question the production and validation of scientific evidence within the context of the replication crisis, enabling students to evaluate how knowledge is created, validated, and communicated.

  • To understand how conceptualising cognitive variation as a natural continuum challenges deficit-focused models, promoting more inclusive frameworks for society.

  • To develop effective communication skills for translating complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences, fostering public understanding of science.

Format

  • Lectures will be split into two sections with a short break in the middle.


  • I will present material in the first half.


  • In the second half, students will break into small groups and have time to read and discuss relevant papers from that week’s material.



 

Small group work

  • Students have the opportunity to discuss any questions arising from the previous lecture, as well as coursework.

  • A journal article will be provided from the previous lecture as a starting point for this discussion.

  • Group discussion sessions are an excellent way to clarify understanding and develop ideas for your assignment.

Schedule


Week

Date

Title

Description

1

Sep 15

Intro

Introduction to the course

2

Sep 22

Crisis Part 1

Is psychological science in a crisis?

3

Sep 29

Crisis Part 2

The reform movement in psychological science

4

Oct 6

Crisis Part 3 (reflective writing)

Does the crisis extend beyond psychology?

5

Oct 13

Crisis Part 4 (recorded lecture)

A problem in theory?

6

Oct 20

Social Neuroscience 1

An introduction to social neuroscience

7

Oct 27

Social Neuroscience 2

Reading faces and bodies

8

Nov 3

Social Neuroscience 3

Understanding others

9

Nov 10

Neurodiversity 1

Re-thinking neurodiversity

10

Nov 17

Neurodiversity 2

Loneliness

11

Nov 24

Neurodiversity 3

Autism

12

Dec 1

No Lecture

Spend this time developing your essay question

13

Dec 8

Neurodiversity 4

Attention and impulsivity

14

Dec 15

Essay Writing

Guidelines and best practices

Topics

  • Introduction
  • Crisis and reform
  • Social neuroscience
  • Neurodiversity
  • Essay writing Q&A

Part 1 - Assessment

Assessment type

  • There is one piece of assessment in this course, which is a written assignment in essay format.

  • 2000 words maximum.

  • Submission date: Monday December 21st, 2026.

  • There is NO exam

  • Just email me the file. If I do not write back to you with confirmation within a few days, then email me again.

Assessment format

You can write your essay in two different ways.

1. Address a general question.

e.g., Is psychology a science or a pseudoscience?

2. Address a more specific question.

e.g., Should Autism be considered one diagnosis or multiple different diagnoses?

You decide the focus of your essay based on what you find interesting.

Assessment structure

Example structure (it seems obvious, but nonetheless…):

  • Introduction
  • Main body of the essay
  • Conclusion

Assessment content

Things to cover:

  • Identify an open research question, which warrants further attention
  • Provide a brief background to the topic
  • Highlight a gap in knowledge (what we do not know)
  • Be critical
  • Identify a novel research question or research direction
  • State your hypotheses and/or aims
  • Discuss the implications of the research (why is it worth doing?)

Part 1 - Writing tips

Narrow focus

  • Your essay should have a narrow focus, I do not want a detailed literature review.

  • You are not being assessed on the breadth of your knowledge. Therefore, I will not mark you down for having a narrow focus.

  • However, I expect a very clear and well-supported rationale for your critical viewpoint and future direction.

  • I will reward attempts to think on your own

Keep it simple !!!

  • Find an experiment or topic from my lectures that interests you
  • Go away and read around the topic
  • Think of a feature that limits understanding – i.e., be critical – and suggest a way to extend current knowledge

Plan, plan and plan some more

  • Plan your written assignment BEFORE you start to write. You will find it easier to write if you organise your ideas first into a structure.

  • Consider the balance of your assignment, in terms of the amount of text per section.

  • Make multiple plans, rather than one. One page A4 per plan.

  • Review the plans and consider revision and/or consolidation.

Writing style

  • Clarity is crucial
  • If you can say it with less words, do so (i.e., keep sentences short).
  • Try to link paragraphs to promote the flow and pace of your writing
  • Have a friend or classmate read it

Part 1 - Reflective writing

Week 4

  • In week 4, there is an assignment, which is NOT marked.
  • I repeat, it is not marked, but it is compulsory to hand it in via email by Monday October 5th at 9am.
  • Please write between 500 and 750 words on the extent to which the reproducibility crisis extends beyond psychology and human neuroscience.

Reflective writing objectives


  • I would like you to reflect on the extent to which the reproducibility crisis extends beyond psychology and human neuroscience.

  • Most of you have varied backgrounds, which span computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, maths etc.

  • Therefore, I would like you to situate what you have learnt in the last 3 weeks within a broader context of scientific research more generally.

Part 1 - Summary

  • Introduction
  • Syllabus
  • Assessment
  • Writing tips
  • Reflective writing

Take a break

Part 2 - Read articles and discuss

Discussion material

  • Here are some accessible (i.e., non-technical) blog posts that cover the main themes in the course.
  • Read these to kick-start a discussion in your group.


Acknowledgements