social cognition - the mirror neuron system Flashcards
definition of the mirror neuron system
consists of special brain cells called mirror neurons distributed in several areas of brain, mirror neurons are unique because they fire both in response to personal action and in response to action of others. these special neurons may be involved in social cognition, allowing us to interpret intention and emotion in others
who discovered mirror neurons
Rizzolatti et al
how did Rizzolatti et al discover mirror neurons
by accident, as were studying electrical activity in a monkey’s motor cortex when one researcher reached for their lunch the monkey’s motor cortex became activated in the same ways when the animal itself reached for food
what did further investigation of mirror neurons lead to
it was the same brain cells that fired when the monkey reached itself or watched someone else reach. the researchers called these mirror neurons because the neurons mirror motor activity in another individual
how has mirror neurons helped research social cognition
has given us a new way of thinking about the way we understand each other’s intentions
what did Gallese and Goldman suggest
mirror neurons respond not just to observed actions but to intentions behind behaviour. rather than the common sense view that we interpret other’s cations with reference to our memory, they suggest that we stimulate others’ actions in our motor system and experience their intentions using our mirror neurons
what other social-cognitive functions may mirror neurons be central to
theory of mind and ability to take other’s perspectives
how can mirror neurons give a neural mechanism for experiencing
if mirror neurons fire in response to other’s actions and intentions this may give us a neural mechanism for experiencing, and hence understanding, other people’s perspectives and emotional states
how can we stimulate intention
making judgements based on our own reflected motor responses, this same information may allow us to interpret what others are thinking and feeling
what did Ramachandran suggest
mirror neurons are so important that they have effectively shaped human evolution
how do mirror neurons explain human evaluation
uniquely complex social interactions we have as humans require a brain system that facilitates an understanding of intention, emotions and perspective. without these cognitive abilities we could not live in the large groups with the complex social roles and rules that characterise human culture. Ramachandran suggest that mirror neurons are absolutely key to understanding the way humans have developed as a social species
how may mirror neurons be linked to autism
may be faulty
where does some evidence for mirror neurons and perspective-taking come from
study of mirror neurons in autistic children
what are the features of autism associated with mirror neurons
the social-cognitive abilities
how can a broken mirror neuron be used as evidence for autism
if autistic children can be shown to have a dysfunctional mirror neuron system this may help explain autism
who proposed broken mirror theory of autism
Ramachandran and Oberman
what is broken mirror theory of autism
idea that neurological deficits include dysfunction in the mirror neuron system preventing a child form imitating and understanding social behaviour in others
when does a broken mirror neuron system begin to show
manifests itself in infancy when children later diagnosed as autistic typically mimic adult behaviours less than others. later problems with the mirror neuron system lead to challenges in social communication as children do not fully develop the usual abilities to read intention and emotion of others
strength of the mirror neuron system as an explanation of social cognition - research support
-evidence from neuroscience to support a role for mirror neurons in a range of human behaviours. Haker et al scanned brains of people as they watched a film of people yawning. levels of activity in Brodmann’s Area 9, believed to be rich in mirror neurons, increased when participants yawned in response. contagious yawning is widely believed to be the result of empathy, so this study links mirror neuron activity to empathy. another study by Lacoboni et al showed that the activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (rich in mirror neurons) increases significantly when the participants tried to understand the intentions behind a hand-grasping gesture (picking up a cup). in other words, the mirror neurons encoded why an object was being grasped –> means mirror neurons may play a role in important aspects of social cognition, including empathy and understanding intentions
limitation of the mirror neuron system as an explanation of social cognition - hard to research
-limitation if measuring neuron activity
-animal studies of mirror neurons often involve implanting electrodes in the brain in order to study electrical activity in individual neurons. however, it is ethically impossible to use this kind of procedure in humans and such animal studies tell us little about human cognition. an alternative is to use scanning techniques. however, scanning techniques only measure activity on brain areas not individual cells –> therefore, there is no gold standard for measuring mirror neuron activity in humans (Bekkali et al), and no direct evidence for mirror neuron activity in humans
strength of the mirror neuron system as an explanation of social cognition - explaining autism
-some evidence to support a link between autism and dysfunctions in the mirror neuron system (Hadjikhani). for example, brain scans have shown a smaller average thickness of the pars opercularis in autistic people compared with neurotypical people. this is an area thought to be especially rich in mirror neurons and thought to be involved in perspective taking. other studies (Nishitani et al) used scanning methods that show activity rather than just structure, have found lower activity levels in regions of the brain believed to be associated with high concentrations of mirror neurons, again in autistic people compared with neurotypical people –> suggests that a cause of autism may be related to mirror neuron system
limitation of the mirror neuron system as an explanation of social cognition - counterpoint to explaining autism
-some research supported a link between autism and abnormal structure or function in mirror neuron system, a systematic review of 25 studies by Hamilton concluded that evidence was highly inconsistent and results hard to interpret. means there may not be a link between autism and mirror neuron activity after all
evaluation of the mirror neuron system as an explanation of social cognition - mirror neurons and perspective-taking
-link between mirror neurons and perspective taking is supported in a physical sense, Maranesi et al found that specific mirror neurons in mokey’s motor cortex fired according to position and angle from which experimenters gestured. shows that physical perspective is encoded by mirror neurons
-however, a recent review by Bekkali et al concluded that there is only weak evidence linking mirror neurons to social cognitions in humans
