Mirror Neurons

Question 1

Def mirror neuron

Answer 1

Is a neuron that fired in response to your own actions and actions of someone else

Question 2

How does the mirror neuron system work

Answer 2

A mirror neuron fires both when a person acts and when a person observed. The same action is performed by another

Question 3

What do mirror neurons do

Answer 3

Mirror neurons respond to the actions they we observed in others. This could allow us to learn eg children see actions and reciprocate it

Question 4

How do mirror neurons link to social cognition

Answer 4

Allow us to connect with others emotionally as we respond to other people’s emotions

Question 5

How do mirror neurons differ with ASD

Answer 5

• autism related broken mirror neurons

- people with ASD don’t fire mirror neurons in response to someone else

Question 6

What did Rizzolatti find

Answer 6

They noticed when the experimenter reached for food in eight of the monkeys, the area of the brain used when the monkeys performed the task, also lit up when watching the task. They concluded that our brains will reload by mirroring activity in another individual

Question 7

3 things mirror neurons impact

Answer 7

Intention
Perspective taking
Human evolution

Question 8

How do mirror neurons work with intention

Answer 8

• gallese and Goldman suggested mirror neurons respond not only to just observed actions but also intention behind behaviour rather than the common sense view
• they suggested we stimulate others actions in our motor system and experience theur intentions using our mirror neurons

Question 9

How do mirror neuron systems work in perspective taking

Answer 9

• if mirror neurons fire in response to others actions and intentions, this gives us a neural mechanism for experiencing and understanding other people’s perspective and emotional states

Question 10

How mirror neuron systems work in human evolution

Answer 10

We believe we are human species because of mirror neurons in order to communicate.

Question 11

Broken mirror theory of ASD is

Answer 11

The idea that neurological deficits that include dysfunction in the mirror neurons system prevent a child developing imitating and understanding behaviour of others

Question 12

4 evaluation points

Answer 12

Strength - supportive evidence
Weakness - hard to research
Strength - support for explaining autism
Weakness - opposinff evidence

Question 13

Elaboration strength - existence of supporting evidence

Answer 13

• evidence from neuroscience to support role of mirror neurons in range of human behaviours
• hacker scanned brains of people as they watched a film of people yawning
• levels of activity in broad mans area believed to be rich in mirror neurons because increased when ps yawned in response

Question 14

Weakness - hard to research

Answer 14

• hard to measure neuron activity
• animal studies of mirror neurons often involve implanting electrodes in the brain ti study electrical acitivty of individual neurons
• ethically impossible to use this procedure in humans and animal studies tell us very little about human cognition
• therefore, no direct evidence for mirror neuron activity in humans

Question 15

Elaboration strength - support for explaining autism

Answer 15

• support to link autism and dysfunctions in mirror neuron system
• eg brain scans have shown smaller average thickness of pars- opercarious in autistic people’s compared to neurotypical people
• this area is thought to be especially rich in mirror neurons suggestsijg cause of autism may be related to the mirror neuron system

Question 16

Elaboration of weakness - opposing evidence

Answer 16

• though some research has link between autism and abnormal structure of function in mirror neuron system
• a systematic review of 25 studies by Hamilton concluded evidence was highly inconsistent and results hard to interpret
• meaning they may not actually be a link Between autism and mirror neuron activity after all