Mirror Neurons which are activated when we do an activity or we perceive others to do the same. Mirror neurons fire when they receive information and when they generate information to produce an action. This indicates biological evidence that someone has produced that some behavior as us. Research suggested that mirror neurons may be quite wide spread throughout the brain – for activities seen, heard or done.
fMRI is used to distinguish which part of brain are active during a task asked in 1st / 3rd person. Hesslow claims that when actions are simulated we activate the motor areas of the brain such a way that resembles the neural activation involved when doing the actual action itself. Meister in a study using fMRI scanning , found that similar fronto-parietal neurons were activated regardless of whether the piano was played silently or on an imaginary basic.
Gazzola suggest that ToM skills are provided by feedback mechanisms in the brain (if we see people behaving in a particular way we an understand their state of mind because our brains take info we are experiencing and stimulates a form of understanding of our bodily state that would generate the same feeling in us. However the situation factors play an role. The implication of this is that if people do not habe ToM they are missing mirror neuron.
Galesse describes mirror neurons as a ‘ mind reading’ system. However morror neurons may be necessary for tOm but they are insffiient alone to provide a ToM. This suggest that nature and nurture must play a role. In Jakson study findings confirmed their hypothesis that the more similar the perspective of the model to the person’s won perspective , the easier it is to imitate an action. the fMRI date also support the view that partly distant neural mechanisms are used when different visual perspective are taken.
The model does seem to offer a sound biological explanation of our ability to understand others. Methods: the fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) technique is unable to measure specific neurons. Therefore, as already mentioned we cannot be certain that the very same neurons are being fired when we experience and when we observe. Much of the research has been carried out on monkeys who have nowhere near the same social repertoire as humans.
In support Eisenberg (2000) believes that early understanding of another person’s distress may be the result of MNs but a fuller appreciation and true empathy only comes about through perspective taking which she believes involves far more than the simple MNs. Salmon proposed that mirror neurons are needed to imitate behavior. Support for this came from numerous studies using fMRFi scanning have shown this to be true , so this can be replicable. This is similar to Vygorsky and concept of more knowledgeable others.
Another research agreed that to understand the intentions of others we need to understand their emotions. FMRI scanning has enabled us to investigate how to do this. Differential mirror neuronal activity associated with personal experiences and the experience of others make sense. This imply the idea that we can empathize with someone else’s pain but experience it in different way. This is reductionist , because humans emotions are reduced.
One weakness is that this theory may be out of day , therefore lacked ecological validity.( modern technology) Furthermore research techniques used may not be accurate enough to identify specific neurons. The implication is that there may be few neurons being activated in response to a variety stimuli. Also research is reductionist because it oversimplify the complex human behavior and emotion. From the psychodynamic point of view there may be conflict between ego , id and superego. It is a nature ( neural activity) theory.