social cognition: the mirror neuron system

Question 1

what are mirror neurons

Answer 1

these are neurons that fire both in response to personal action and in response to an action on the part of others

Question 2

who discovered mirror neurons

Answer 2

Rizzolatti et al were studying electrical activity in a monkey’s motor cortex responsible for movement), when one of the researchers reached for their lunch in the view of the monkey

The monkey’s motor cortex became activated for food

The same brain cells fired when the monkey reached itself or watched someone reach

These were called mirror neurons because they mirror motor activity in another individual

Question 3

what did Gallese and Goldman suggest about mirror neurons

Answer 3

they suggest that they respond not just to the observed actions but to the intentions behind the behaviour

They believed that we do not just interpret people’s actions with reference to our memory but we simulate other’s actions in our motor system and experience their intentions using motor neurons

Question 4

what was Lacboni et al (2004) study into mirror neurons and intentions

Answer 4

PROCEDURE:
Twenty - three right - handed subjects (male and female) watched three film clips of visual stimuli

1. content only - scenes containing objects
2. action only - grasping hand actions without context
3. intention content with an action either drinking or cleaning up

The researchers investigated whether the observation of the same grasping action elicited the same or different activity in mirror neuron areas for grasping in the human brain

fMRI scanning was used to measure brain activity

Question 5

what were the findings from Lacboni’s

Answer 5

Observing grasping actions embedded in contexts (the intention clips) yielded greater activity in mirror neuron areas in the inferior frontal cortex, associated with grasping than observing actions without contexts or while observing contexts only

this shows that the premotor mirror neuron areas previously thought to be involved only in action recognition are also involved in understanding the intentions of others - which is the basis of empathy

Question 6

mirror neurons and perspective taking

Answer 6

It has been suggested that mirror neurons are important in theory of mind and the ability to take the perspective of others

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

It may allow us to interpret what others are thinking and feeling

Question 7

mirror neurons and human evolution

Answer 7

Ramachandran suggested that mirror neurons are so important that they have shaped human evolution

The uniquely complex social interactions we have as humans require brain systems that facilitate an understanding of intention, emotion and perspective

Without these cognitive abilities, we would not be able to live in the large groups with the complex social roles and rules that characterise the human culture
Ramachandran suggests that mirror neurons are absolutely key to understanding the ways humans have developed as a social species

Question 8

mirror neurons and autism spectrum

Answer 8

Ramachandran and Oberman have the “broken mirror” theory ASD. This suggests that neurological deficits including dysfunction in the mirror neuron system prevent a developing child from imitating and understanding social behaviour in others

This manifests itself in infancy when children later diagnosed with ASD typically mimic behaviour less than others

Later, problems with the mirror neuron system lead to difficulties in social communication as children do not develop the usual abilities to reach intentions and emotions in others