Mirror Neurons

Question 1

what are mirror neurons?

Answer 1

nerves in the brain that are active when specific actions are performed or observed in others

Question 2

what do mirror neurons do?

Answer 2

they allow an individual to share feelings/thoughts by empathising with or imitating others

Question 3

how do mirror neurons explain empathy?

Answer 3

when an individual experiences an emotion, or views an expression of an emotion on another person, the same mirror neurons are activated in themselves, allowing the observer and the observed to have a direct experiential understanding of each other

Question 4

where are mirror neurons found?

Answer 4

in brain areas involved in social cognition, especially motor-related areas, such as the inferior frontal, prefrontal and inferior parietal cortices

Question 5

how do mirror neurons work in understanding intentions?

Answer 5

its possible different brain areas are associated with (for example) picking up a cup to drink from it compared to picking it up to clear it away

Question 6

how do mirror neurons explain autism?

Answer 6

a defective mirror neuron system means an inability to understand others thoughts/emotions, hence not being able to understand social cues

Question 7

research on mirror neurons

Answer 7

-Daparetto et al 2006 - autism
-Rizzolatti et al 1996 - macaque monkeys
-Stuss et al 2001 - damaged frontal lobes
-Rizzolatti + Craighero 2004 - mirror neurons in humans
-Wicker et al 2003 - mirror neurons and empathy

Question 8

negative evaluative points on mirror neurons

Answer 8

-methodological issues (its impossible to study the activity of a singular neurons)
-Hicock 2009 - its not proven mirror neurons directly allow understanding of the meaning of actions
-Heyes 2012 - it hasn’t yet been established if mirror neurons evolved to permit understanding of actions or if they’re just a biological by-product of social interaction

Question 9

positive evaluation points on mirror neurons

Answer 9

-MRI scans have found evidence of mirror neurons in humans, and suggest a wider network of brain areas involved
-social cognition only seems to exist in species living in fairly complex social groupings, suggesting a biological basis of evolution due to its adaptive survival value
-research has proposed a possible biological explanation for autism, which could lead to a biological cure