Daniel Houser speaks about the effects of punishment in social activity, along with a neurological outcome in the brain. Main focus is set on economical punishment and the change in participants’ behavior, depending on the degree of sanction. As part of this subject, the detrimental incentive result of sanctions is explained with its intention consequence, and variations in human action with the different attitudes towards social and economical sanction.

Other topics discussed, are those about neuroeconomic investigations. The role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex -VMPFC- in human action, and the case of Phineas Gage, as well as the other parts of the brain involved in social cooperation are explained. The lecture ends with the conclusions regarding social cooperation and punishment, based on the research previously presented.