Lecture 8 - Imitation and Mirror Neurons Flashcards
Perception-action mapping
- we can seamlessly map visual representations of action onto our motor systems to copy the action
- this is called CROSSMODAL TRANSFER
developmental evidence for perception action mapping (PAM)
- infants can imitate caregivers facial expressions, hand and mouth movements, head turns etc
Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
Piaget thought this ability occurred no earlier then 1 year.
- babies aged 12 -21 days could imitate certain facial expressions
- imitate specific acts not just whole body parts even after a delay
Oostenborek et al 2016 - evidence against Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
- longitudinal study 1 - 9week babies
- claimed TRUE imitation occurs at 6-9 months
active intermodal matching
AIM
- involved perception and action having independent coding/representation
- a specialist model for imitation
other theories of perception and action mapping
- COMMON CODING for perception and action
- imitation part of GENERALIST process for motor control and learning
Ideomotor theory
associative sequence learning
- emphasises learning through our own experience
dual route model of imitation
two routes:
- SEMANTIC - meaningful actions stored in repertoire (someone waves - you wave back in a different way)
- VISUOMOTOR/DIRECT - meaningless actions - mirror neurons
general properties of MNs
- BIMODAL - visuo-motor neurons (respond to visual and motor stimuli)
- at the onset of the event there is a firing of the neuron
how do MNs underpin action understanding
- MN active during observation of partially hidden action
- MNs also active when responding to a sound typically produced by the action
what area associated with MN in primates
area F5 of premotor cortex in the inferior parietal lobe
what area associated with MNs in humans
- BROCAS AREA (BA44)
- Ventral inferior frontal gyrus
- posterior patietal lobe
- superior temporal lobe
what 3 types of neurons does F5 contain
- action observation related visuomotor neurons
- motor neurons
- canonical visuomotor neurons
canonical visuomotor neurons are also called ?
object observation-related neurons
behaviour evidence for MNs in humans
- faster responses when when there is compatibility between observed and executed movements
- also known as ‘AUTOMATIC IMITATION’
brain imaging evidence for human MS
- somatotopic activation of pre-motor and parietal cortex
- got Ps to observe other people carrying out actions using various body parts
- activation in corresponding region of motor cortex to movement
TMS evidence for MNs
- motor evoked potentials showed that observing an action produces increased motor excitability
direct recording evidence for MNs (Mukamel et al 2010)
- recording for patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy
- Ps observed and executed grasping actions and facial gestures
- action observation - related mNs found in medial frontal lobe (SMA) and medial temporal lobe (hippocampus)
- evidence that there are cells in brain that respond same way as MNs.
species-specific differences in brain regions
in humans:
- area 44 related to speech and motor representation of hand and mouth movements - ventral inferior frontal gyrus (BA6) related to arm and head movements
in monkeys:
- lateral part of F5 - 80% of MNs related to ingestive behaviour
- 20% communicative
species-specific differences in actions?
HUMANS:
- action doesnt need to be goal-directed or contain an object - meaningless movements are represented
MONKEYS:
- action must be goal-directed - cannot learn novel and complex acts - NO BA46 in monkeys
who is the best
you
