Cognition + development - social cognition - mirror neurons Flashcards
What are mirror neurons?
Neurons in various parts of the brain that activate when a person/monkey performs an action and also when another individual performs the same action.
This means an observer’s brain experiences the actions of another as if it were their own.
What happened in Rizzolatti’s research on mirror neurons?
- They discovered that when a monkey saw a person or another monkey performing an action, some of the same neurons activated in the motor areas of the monkey’s brain as when that monkey performed the task themselves
- The researchers tested what they had seen by getting the monkey’s to perform an action and noted which neurons fired
- When the monkey observed a person doing the same action, they saw that the same neurons fired
- This can explain how motor behaviour is learnt. We can learn skilled behaviour from observing others
What do we encode?
Intention as well as action; why a person is doing what they are doing.
Our mirror neurons fire in response to seeing someone cry, laugh etc, and by experiencing the firing of these mirror neurons we also become aware of their intentions.
This understanding of intention through mirror neurons may be an essential part of development of a theory of mind and perspective-taking.
What are the role of mirror neurons in social cognition?
Researchers believe that social cognition develops due to mirror neurons.
They say we can experience emotion as if we are the person we are observing. This is the beginning of empathy.
What did VS Ramachandran believe?
He says that the development of mirror neurons has allowed us to excel in social relationships, and that this may be the evolutionary basis for our success as a species.
Imitation > intention > empathy
What is human research on mirror neurons like?
Humans research into mirror neurons usually uses fMRI or EEG.
There are differences in the neuron activity of areas of the brain (not individual neurons) which can be measured.
Activity at rest is compared to activity when watching someone else perform a function or performing it yourself.
This has provided evidence that, like monkeys, we have mirror neurons.
HOW is human research carried out for mirror neurons?
In human EEG research, mu desynchronisation is measured. Mu refers to a type of brain wave.
When the brain is at rest, neurons in the sensorimotor cortex fire in synchrony (creating mu waves).
When a person performs or observes an action, the firing of these cells becomes desynchronised.
This desynchronisation leads to reduced mu power, compared to when the cells were firing together.
Because this reduced power is seen both when an individual performs and when they observe an action, it has been taken as evidence of a human mirror neuron system.
What is the broken mirror theory of autism?
Explains autism as due to faulty mirror neurons system - suggested by babies later diagnosed with autism mimic adults less than other babies do.
This difference in mirror neuron activity may explain later social communication difficulties in autism.
What study shows autism linked to mirror neuron dysfunction?
Studied 10 EEG recordings of males with autism who were considered ‘high functioning’ and 10 gender-matched control subjects.
Individuals with autism showed a dysfunctional mirror neuron system: their mirror neurons responded only to what they did and not the doings of others.
What is a limitation of the theory of the role of mirror neurons in social cognition?
There is still a lot we do not know about mirror neurons. There is very little direct research at the individual neuronal level in humans because EEG is not invasive.
Invasive research is unethical on humans. We don’t really know if it is the exact same neurons, could just be the same areas of the brain.
Basing a theory on animal studies is a limitation because our brains and biologies are not the same. Intentions may be different and we don’t know whether monkeys have empathy and think the same.
Why is the fact that there is support from invasive human studies a strength of the role of mirror neurons in social cognition?
A study published in 2010 reported recordings from single neurons with mirror properties in the human brain.
Recordings were made from the brains of 21 patients who were being treated for intractable epilepsy. The patients had been implanted with intracranial depth electrodes to identify the focal point of seizures for potential surgical treatment.
Electrode location was based solely on clinical criteria; the researchers, with the patients’ consent, used the same electrodes. The researchers found a small number of neurons that fired or showed their greatest activity both when the individual performed a task and when they observed a task.
Why is the fact that there is support for the idea that mirror neurons are involved in social cognition in humans a strength?
Many experiments using fMRI and EEG have shown that certain brain regions are active when people experience an emotion and when they see another person experiencing an emotion.
Researchers have shown that people who are more empathic according to self-report questionnaires have stronger activations both in the mirror system for hand actions and the mirror system for emotions, providing more direct support for the idea that the mirror system is linked to empathy.
However, fMRI and EEG only identify a general area of activity, we can’t be sure it’s exactly the same neurons firing. Self-report data may not be valid due to social desirability bias.
Why is the fact that there is evidence that Ramachandran may be right in thinking we have evolved to have mirror neurons, and they are therefore innate a strength?
Meltzoff and Moore found that babies as young as 3 days old imitate facial expressions.
This supports Ramachandran’s evolutionary theory because at 3 days of age, the babies were too young to have learnt this behaviour which suggests there is an innate, biological mirror neuron system.
