mirror neurons

• mirror neurones - motor neurones that fire both in response to personal action and the action of others
• mirror neurones

  ramachandran - mirror neurones have shaped evolution through helping us learn skills other people may have and are the neurological basis of self awareness

  • influential research into phantomb limb syndrome and human compassion
  • allows us to understand social interactions by understanding motivation and perspective so developed humans as a social species
  • were discovered by mistake (by someone else) when monkeys were being investigated with eegs and food pleasure neurones activated in response to the researcher eating lunch
• why are mirror neurones important?

  mirror neurones allow us to mirror and understand both standard motor behaviour and emotions

  • they may respond to intended actions as well - we stimulate the act through our mirror neurones and experience someone's intention
  • allows us to experience and understand the emotions of others so important for perspective-taking and theory of mind
• mirror neurones and autism

  ramachandran - the broken mirror theory of autism

  • neurological deficits in the mirror neurone system prevent autistic children imitating and understanding other's social behaviour in early childhood which leads to later communication problems
  • chen + han - meta-analysis found a broken motor neurone system in autistic children prevented imitation and so the development of social cognition
• strengths

  + mouras - participants in fmri watched mr bean or hetero porn and measured arousal through pressure sensitive penis ring

  • pars opercularis activity occured before sexual arousal - mirror neurones produced perspective-taking that makes porn arousing
  • HOWEVER brain scans measure general brain activity and ethically we can't attach electrodes to individual brain cells

  + hadjikhani - smaller average thickness of pars opercularis in autistic people than neurotypical controls

  • HOWEVER hamilton - review of 25 studies found evidence linking mirror neurones and autism were inconsistent
• limitations

  • hickok - we can't point to individual cells and show they are different to other neurones so we can't be sure mirror neurones exist
  • hickok - mirror neurone activity may be a bi-product of social cognition rather than causing it
  • more to do with using others' behaviour to plan our own than understanding cognitions behind it - not perspective-taking