Role of mirror neurons in developmentof social cognition

Question 2

What does the frontal cortex do?

Answer 2

Brings together info to create intergrated picture

Question 3

What does the premotor cortex do?

Answer 3

Motor related ares that is important in social cognition.

Question 4

What does the superior temporal sulcus do?

Answer 4

Found to contain neurons that respond to observation of moving body parts?

Question 5

What does the parietal cortex do?

Answer 5

Was found to be important in the self-other distinction.

Question 6

What does the Amygdala do?

Answer 6

Found to be important in recognising and interpreting facial emotions.

Question 8

When and why were Mirror neurons discovered?

Answer 8

By accident in Italy when neuroscientists Rizzolati et al were researching neurons firing in the motor cortex and premotor cortex area of macaque monkeys.

Question 9

Outline Rizzolatti et al’s research?

Answer 9

The monkeys had electrodes implanted in their brain which allowed the researchers to record the actions of individual neurons. During thhis resarch one of the researchers picked something up that they had dropped and the monkeys neuron fired. The neuronsalso fired upon hearing the sound of an action.It seemed that these neurons had to do with imitation of an action or learning an action.

Question 10

What are mirror neurons?

Answer 10

Are neurons that fire not only when a person is doing a motor action but also when the motor action is being veiwed or even when a sound associated with the motor action is heard.

Question 11

Rizzolatis research suffers from evelutionary dicontinuity.

Answer 11

Research finding found from the use of aniamls will suffer from evolutionary discontinuity. Findings from aniamls should not be generalised to humans due to the difference in the genes