Our People
The SCI:FI Lab Team
The SCI:FI Lab Team · George Mason University · Fairfax, VA
Social Cognition & Interaction: Functional Imaging
We study the neuroscience of trust,
cooperation and human connection.
Combining social psychology, experimental economics, and neuroimaging to understand the brain behind our most fundamental social bonds.
Our People
The SCI:FI Lab Team · George Mason University · Fairfax, VA
Our Questions
We use fMRI, behavioral experiments, and computational models to investigate the neural and psychological foundations of social cognition.
Why do we trust strangers?
What brain mechanisms allow us to extend trust to people we've never met, and what happens when that trust is earned — or broken?
Trust & Cooperation →What happens in the brain during betrayal?
When someone violates our trust, the impulse to punish is almost universal. We study the neural circuits behind this drive for justice.
Social Punishment →Can we build fairer systems?
From policy design to AI systems, understanding how the brain processes fairness and cooperation has real-world consequences at scale.
Applied Research →
Featured Work
Edited by Frank Krueger, this Cambridge University Press volume brings together leading neuroscientists to map what we know about the brain basis of trust — from molecular mechanisms to social policy. A landmark reference in the field.
| Editor | Frank Krueger |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year | 2021 |
Interested in collaborating, joining the lab, or learning more about our research? We welcome inquiries from prospective students, researchers, and partners.