Embodied Simulation Theory

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Embodied Simulation Theory

Description

  • History

Within the last 10 years Mirror Neuron Systems have been discovered in the brain. These neurons fire both when one performs an action and when one observes another person perform the same goal-directed action. These systems have quickly been implicated in many higher motor functions such as action recognition, imitation, and language processing. It has been hypothesized that since the same areas of the brain are activated as seen in fMRI studies when the subjects observes the action as when they perform the action themselves, this MNS can allow us to understand the intentions of others.1

Vittorio Gallese hypothesized that it is through these mirror neuron systems where both basic forms of social cognition like empathy, and higher forms of social cognition like attribution of mental states to others and language, are constructed. Mirror neurons have also been shown to allow monkeys to anticipate the final goal of an action. Studies such as Buxbaum et. al. 2 support the notion that the neural representations of action production and action understanding are the same.3 This "understanding" of an action afforded by the activation of the mirror neuron system is proportional to the observer's own motor experiences and automatic. Recent studies have also shown that the action and motor cortical circuits in the brain are involved in the processing of language. Some hypothesize that certain premotor structures originally meant to participate in goal-related action began to be used for language.3 This hypothesis is supported by an fMRI study by Friederici et. al. that the premotor sector of the inferior frontal gyrus is activated during the processing of language.5


  • Theory

The appeal of the Embodied Simulation theory for language stems from the fact that it gives a simple explanation for how empathy and feelings could be neurally coded and understood. Additionally it is parsimonious to language evolution theory and could be tested.3


Criticisms

Tests for Embodied Simulation Theory

Citations

1. buccino 2. Buxbaum et. al. 3. Gallese, V. Before and below 'theory of mind':embodied simulation and the neural correlates of social cognition. 4. Buccino et. al. 2005 5. Friederici et. al. 2006