Evaluation
Cards (3)
- Strength - Evidence for the role of MNsA region of the brain believed to be rich in mirror neurons is the Pars OpercularisMouras et al (2008) provided evidence to suggest that the PO is involved in perspective taking
- Male ppts watched either a fishing documentary, Mr Bean, or porn
- Brain activity was measured by FMRI and arousal by a pressure sensitive penis ring
- Activity was seen immediately before sexual arousal, consistent with the idea that mirror neurons produced the perspective taking that made the pornography arousing
Supports the importance of mirror neurons in social cognition because they show that regions of the brain believed to be rich in mirror neurons activate when empathy or perspective taking takes place - Weakness - difficulty studying mirror neuron activity in humansEvidence for mirror neuron activity comes from brain scanning, which identifies activity levels in regions of the brain
- Scanning does not allow us to measure activity in individual brain cells
- For ethical reasons it is not possible to insert electrodes into the human brain to measure activity on a cellular level
This is a weakness of mirror neuron research because researchers are generally measuring activity in a part of the brain and inferring that this means activity in mirror neuronsThere is a lack of direct evidence for mirror neuron activity from studies like this - Mixed evidence for abnormal mirror neuron function in ASDHadjikhani (2007) reviewed evidence for the link between ASD and a deficit in mirror neuron function and found some support
- Structural brain scans have shown a smaller average thickness for the pars opercularis in ppts on the autism spectrum
- Similarly, studies using functional scans have shown lower activity on brain areas associated with mirror neurons in participants with ASD
However, not all such findings have been replicated consistently and evidence linking ASD to mirror neurons is mixed- This is a problem for the broken mirror theory of ASD