Mirror Neuron System Flashcards
Strength supporting evidence
Helene et al.
Mirror neurons has supporting evidence. Neuroscience supports the role of Mirror neurons in human activity from contagious yawning to watching pornography. Helene et al. Scanned the brains of people as they watched a film of people yawning. Level of activity in the Broadmans area 9 believed to be rich in mirror neurons increased when participants yawned in response. Yawning largely thought to be to do with empathy so this creates a link between empathy and mirror neutrons. Studies found that their brain watches and replicates what others do.
Strength another supporting study
Mouras et al.
Mouras et al. Show the activity in the pars opecularis another brain region believed to be rich in there in there and increase just before participants experienced erections whilst watching heterosexual pornography. Presumably the mirror neurons were responding, allowing the viewer to experience what they were watching . The porn was replicated physically and emotionally by the participants.
Support brain scans
There is more Evidence to suggest a link with ASD and abnormality in the mirror neurons system. Eg. Brain scans have shown a smaller average thickness of the pars opercularis in people with ASD than neurotypical. This is an area thought to be especially rich in mirror neurons. Supporting the idea that people with ASD have a deficit.
Limitation Animal studies.
Animal studies of marinara is often involved in planting electrodes in the brain in order to study electrical activity in the individual neurons. However it is ethically impossible to use this kind of procedure in humans and such animal studies tells little about human cognition. No alternative is to use scanning techniques but scanning techniques only measure activity in the brain not specific cells. No gold standard for measuring mirror neuron activity in humans and therefore evidence. Anthropomorphism and also unethical. Generalise fMRI can’t look at specific Neurons.
Limitation inconsistent findings.
Antonia Hamilton
Although some research has supported I like between ASD and abnormal structure/function in the mariner and system a systematic review of 25 studies by Antonia Hamilton concluded evidence was inconsistent and hard to interpret.
