Cognition And Development - Mirror Neurons Description Flashcards
What are mirror neurons ?
Neurons that fire both in response to personal action and in response to action on the part of others.
How were mirror neurons discovered
Rizzolatti et al (2002)
Studying electrical activity - monkeys motor cortex ( responisible for movement)
Researchers - reached for lunch in view of monkey
Motor cortex - activated in same as it did when animal itself reached for food
These are called mirror neurons
What did Gallese and Goldman (1998) suggest ?
Mirror neurons respond not just to observed action but to intentions behind behaviour.
Do not interpret actions with reference to memory -> imitate each others actions in motor systems
Experience their intentions using mirror neurons
What is an example of mirror neurons and the idea of intentiom
different brain areas associated with mirror neurons fire off when observing an individual pick up a cup from a table to drink from it than when they pick it up to clear it away.
Explain the procedre
23 right handed subjects watched 3 films clips of stimuli
- Context only - scenes containing objects.
- Action only- grasping hand actions without a context.
- Intention- context with an action which was either drinking or cleaning up.
observation of the same grasping action elicited the same or different activity in mirror neuron areas for grasping
What were the results of the study (lacaboni et al 2004)
Observing grasping actions embedded in contexts (the intention clips) -> greater activity in mirror neuron areas in the inferior frontal cortex (associated with grasping)
than observing actions without contexts or while observing contexts only.
What is the conclusion of Iacaboni et al
study
Premotor mirror neuron areas (areas active during the execution and the observation of an action) previously thought to be involved only in action recognition are also involved in understanding the intentions of others, which is the basis of empathy.
evidence for the importance of mirror neurons in human cognition
Stuss et al (2001) reported that individuals with damage to their frontal lobes (where the motor cortex is located) were often unable to empathise with and read other people’s intentions and were easy to deceive
explain the link between mirror neurons and perspective taking ?
mirror neurons fire in response to others’ actions and intentions
therefore-> this may be neural mechanism for experiencing and understanding other people’s perspectives and emotional states.
-> allows us to interpret what others are thinking
what is the link between mirror neurons and human evolution
uniquely complex social interactions we have as humans require a brain system that facilitates an understanding of intention, emotion and perspective.
without these cognitive abilities ->
would not be able to live in large groups and have complex social lives like now
mirror neurons have allowed humans to develop as a social species
what is the broken mirror theory of ASD by Ramachandran and Oberman
dysfunction in the mirror neuron (neurological deficit) -> prevents developing child imitating and understanding social behaviour in others
this manifests in infancy when child later diagnosed with ASD and child has difficulties in social communication.
why does the child have difficulties in social communication
because they do not develop the usual abilities to read intentions and emotion in others.
