Biological Explanations of Social Cognition, Including the Role of the Mirror Neuron System

  • Social cognition may be damaged when the brain is damaged:

>Anosognosia- Person is unaware of their mental impairment.

  • Frontal lobe damage can cause change in personality.

The Mirror Neuron System

  • Mirror neurones are fired when an action is completed and the same neurones are fired when the person witnesses someone doing the same thing i.e. being a musician and playing music and listening to music.
  • If a non musician plays music and then listens to it, the activity is generated in different areas. This is not the case for musicians.
  • ToM influenced by mirror neurones. Allow us to take someone else’s perspective because we can imagine what they are feeling.

> AO2- Regardless of the fact that we have mirror neurones doesn’t mean that we will be able to use ToM.

  • AO2-> Many aspects influence the way we perceive emotions.
  • Moral Understanding-> shows that the moral understanding is part innate as it shows our ability to empathise

> doesn’t mean that moral behaviour will become developed though.

  • fMRI after watching a clip of someone turning their nose up at awful food showed the same activity as when the person smelt something horrible.
  • Mirror neurones are not active when watching someone of a different culture do something-> ethnicity and biology not related.
  • Oversimplification of the biological aspect. Imitation can be due to other things; temperament, attachment, mood, etc.
  • Stronger in monkeys. Performing a particular action and watching another monkey do a similar thing led to the same mirror neurones being fired.
  • Mirror neurone system in autistic children is impaired. Less activity when they watched facial expressions and were asked to demonstrate, than normal children.

>doesn’t prove that the autism is to blame for this.