Research on cognitive and social neuroscience investigates the neural mechanisms that underlie psychological and social processes. Although neuroscientists have long tended to focus on single organisms, organs, cells, or intracellular processes to understand cognition, many social species create emergent structures beyond the individual that guide social and psychological behavior. These emergent structures evolved hand in hand with neural and hormonal mechanisms to support them because the consequent social behaviors helped animals survive, reproduce, and care for offspring. [more...]