Mirror Neurons (OCR A-Level Psychology): Flashcards

Specialised neurons activated when observing & performing motor actions

Observing others' motor actions & performing own motor actions

Rizzolatti et al

Monkey's motor cortex active watching researcher reach for food (same as when monkey did it itself)

Others' intentions (strong link between mirror neurons & intention)

Faulty mirror neuron system may explain autistic spectrum disorders

Inability to understand intentions & emotions of others

Problems in social communication & awkwardness

Reading others' intentions, goals, emotions & perspectives

Highly controlled, artificial tasks lacking real-world complexity

Simplify social scenarios, don't reflect everyday function

Study activity in naturalistic contexts

Ecological validity of findings