Can Neuroscience Advance Our Understanding of Core Questions in Communication Studies? An Overview of Communication Neuroscience

Can neuroimaging methods oHer any beneJt to communication scholars? Although communication scholars draw on multiple, interdisciplinary methods, the Jeld has not traditionally leveraged neuroimaging techniques (Cappella, 1996). By contrast, other social science disciplines have beneJKed greatly from the use of neuroscience methodologies to test core theoretical questions (Adolphs, 2003; Cabeza & Nyberg, 2000a; Cacioppo, 2002; Cacioppo, Berntson, Sheridan, & McClintock, 2000; Lieberman, 2010; Loewenstein, Rick, & Cohen, 2008; Ochsner & Lieberman, 2001; Poldrack, 2008; Sanfey, Loewenstein, & Mcclure, 2006; Yarkoni, Poldrack, Van Essen, & Wager, 2010). Ie current chapter outlines a vision for how communication studies might leverage neuroimaging technologies moving forward. We begin by deJning communication neuroscience as a subdiscipline and giving a brief overview of the most commonly employed neuroimaging methods. We follow this introduction with a discussion of the types of questions that neuroimaging is most equipped to answer and suggest areas for further exploration.