Social cognition: Mirror neurons Flashcards
1
Q
What are mirror neurons?
A
- Mirror neurons are brain cells that are activated when we observe actions carried out by another person.
- The cell activation is the same as if we had carried out that action ourselves.
2
Q
When do these neurons fire? (animals)
A
- These neurons fire when an animal or human makes a meaningful movement, and also when it observes another animal making the same movement.
3
Q
When is the mirror neuron system activated in humans?
A
- Activated when producing facial expressions.
- When these expressions are observed in others.
4
Q
What does the mirror neuron system firing activate?
A
- Activates the appropriate feelings associated with that facial expression, allowing us to experience the same feelings we identify in others.
5
Q
What is the assumption made based off this theory?
A
- It is assumed that this would be the foundation of our abilities to understand and empathise with others.
6
Q
What role do mirror neurons play in social cognition?
A
- Mirror neurons are believed to be responsible for the human ability to share an understanding of intention + emotional experience (and so are thought to form the basis of social cognition).
7
Q
How do studies support the role of mirror neurons in social cognition?
A
- Many studies have shown that people who are more empathetic have stronger activations in the mirror neuron system and in turn, deficits in social cognition have been linked to problems in mirror neuron function.
8
Q
Evidence to support the role of the mirror neuron system (early evidence).
A
- Early evidence comes from lab-based research with monkeys in the 1990’s.
9
Q
Early evidence- what were researchers investigating?
A
- Researchers were investigating electrical activity in the monkey’s pre-motor cortex (the area of the brain controlling movement).
10
Q
Early evidence- what were the findings of the monkey study?
A
- They noticed that when one of the researchers reached for his lunch, the monkey’s motor cortex became activated in exactly the same way as it did when the animal itself reached for food.
11
Q
Evidence to support the role of the mirror neurons system (more recent studies)
A
- Used fMRI and EEG’s to study mirror neurons in humans and found strong evidence for a circuit with properties similar to the monkey’s mirror neuron system.
12
Q
More recent studies- Broca’s area
A
- The human Broca’s area was identified as a homologue region of the monkey’s pre-motor cortex, however fMRI studies have more recently suggested that a much wider network of brain areas show mirror properties than initially thought.
13
Q
What do fMRI studies show? (more detail)
A
- fMRI studies have shown activation of mirror neurons in ppts who observed hand actions executed in contexts that allowed them to understand the intention of the action, but this activation was not seen when ppts observed hand actions without context.
14
Q
How do fMRI studies support the role of the mirror neuron system?
A
- This supports the theory that mirror areas are involved in action understanding + the understanding of others intentions (Lacaboni et al).
15
Q
Mirror neurons and autism (link)
A
- The inability of autistic children to relate to people and to life situations in the same way as non-autistic children has been linked to a dysfunctional mirror neuron system (Ramachandran 2006).
16
Q
Mirror neurons and autism (EEG recordings)
A
- EEG recordings from motor areas are suppressed when someone watches another person move.
- This suppression is thought to relate to the mirror neuron system + this suppression has been found to be less in children with autism.
17
Q
Mirror neuron abnormalities
A
- Mirror neuron abnormalities have been blamed for a no. of autistic problems, including lack of empathy.
- They also have been blamed for symptoms including language difficulties, lack of imitation and lack of intention understanding.
18
Q
Evaluation (+)- Point (research support)
A
- Lots of evidence to support the existence of a mirror neuron system and link it to social cognition.
19
Q
Evaluation (+)- Expand (research support)
A
- This evidence uses advanced scientific methods (fMRI, EEG’s)= allows for cause and effects rships to be established.
- These objective tools= easy replication, and allows for theories about the location and role of mirror neurons to be falsified.
20
Q
Example of evidence to support the existence of the mirror neuron system.
A
- For example, areas of the brain such as Brodmann’s area 44 of the frontal lobe (this area corresponds with Broca’s area), has been found to be rich in mirror neuron activity.
21
Q
Evaluation (-)- Point (controversy)
A
- Despite the research support, there is still some controversy surrounding this system.
22
Q
Evaluation (-)- Expand (controversy)
A
- Individual mirror neuron cells can only be identified by their function and most scanning methods do not identify individual cells, instead they show activity in an area, with relatively poor spatial resolution.
23
Q
Evaluation (-)- Point (determinism)
A
- Critics have raised issues of determinism.
24
Q
Evaluation (-)- Expand (determinism)
A
- The theory that social cognition is controlled at the neural level (caused by mirror neurons alone) leaves no room for conscious free will, and this hard determinist view is not accepted by many psychologists.
25
Evaluation (-)- Point (reductionist)
- This explanation is also reductionist, at the lowest level of explanation.
26
Evaluation (-)- Expand (reductionist)
- Assumes that social cognition is explained by simple brain connections and the firing of neurons, but this explanation is likely too simple.
- Social processes and the appropriate responses are complex, and a more holistic explanation is more likely to offer us a better understanding of the successes, and failures of social cognition.
