Cognition And Development: The Mirror Neuron System

Question 1

What is the mirror neuron system

Answer 1

• consists of special brain cells called mirror neurons, distributed in several areas of the brain
• they fire in response to personal action and in response to action on the part of others

Question 2

Outline the discovery of mirror neurons

Answer 2

• rizzolatti et al were studying electrical activity in motor cortexes of monkeys
• when one researcher reached for his lunch the monkeys motor cortex because activated in the same way as it did when the animal itself reached for food

Question 3

What did gallese and Goldman propose about mirror neurons

Answer 3

• they respond not just to observed actions but also intentions behind actions
• we stimulate others actions in our motor system and experience these intentions using our mirror neurons

Question 4

Outline the relationship between mirror neurons and perspective taking

Answer 4

• mirror neurons are important in other social cognitive functions such as TOM and perspective taking
• if they fire in response to others actions and intentions, this may give us a neuronal mechanism for experiencing, and understanding others perspectives and emotion states

Question 5

Outline the relationship between mirror neurons and human evolution

Answer 5

• research has suggested they are so important they have effectively shaped human evolution
• the uniquely complex social interactions we have as humans require brain system that facilitates and understanding of emotion and perspective
• without these cognitive abilities we could not live in the large groups with complex social roles that characterise human culture

Question 6

Outline the relationship between mirror neurons and autism spectrum disorder

Answer 6

• if children on the autism spectrum can be shown to have poor mirror neuron systems, this may goa long way to explaining ASD
• oberman et al - proposed the ‘broken mirror’ theory of ASD
• the idea that neurological deficits including dysfunction in the mirror neurons systems prevent a developing child imitating and understanding social behaviours of others

Question 7

What are the three evaluation points for the mirror neuron system

Answer 7

• evidence for the role of mirror neurons
  -difficulty studying mirror neuron activity in humans
• mixed evidence for abnormal mirror function in ASD

Question 8

Outline ‘evidence for the role of mirror neurons ‘ as an evaluation point for the mirror neuron system

Answer 8

• evidence to support an important role for mirror neurons in human social behaviour
• Haker et al - found an area of the brain believed to be rich in mirror neurons is involved in contagious yawning which is widely seen as an explanation of human empathy
• when scanned using FMRI’s - participants showed activity in an area in the right frontal lobe

Question 9

Outline ‘difficulty studying mirror neuron activity in humans ‘ as an evaluation point for the mirror neuron system

Answer 9

• evidence for mirror neuron activity comes from brain scanning, which identifies activity levels in regions of the brain
• scanning doesn’t allow us to measure activity in individual brain cells
• so lack of direct evindece for mirror neuron activity from studies like this

Question 10

Outline ‘mixed evidence for abnormal mirror function in ASD‘ as an evaluation point for the mirror neuron system

Answer 10

• researchers have found some support on the link between ASD and a deficit in mirror neuron function
• studies using functional scans have shown lower activity in brain areas associated with mirror neurons in participants with ASD
• there is a lack of direct reliable evidence to support the theory between ASD and Mirror neurons