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Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task
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Action understanding: how low can you go?

Daniel D Hutto1

  • 1School of Humanities, University of Hertfordshire, de Havilland Campus, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, United Kingdom.

Consciousness and Cognition
|February 5, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mirror neurons may facilitate intersubjective engagement but do not provide action understanding. Further research is needed to clarify their precise role and targeting mechanisms in the brain.

Keywords:
Action understandingEnactivismFolk psychologyMindreadingMirror neuronsTheory of mind

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • Sceptical arguments question the role of mirror neurons in action understanding.
  • Believers' responses to these arguments have been proposed.
  • Previous attempts to explain brain-based understanding via mirror neurons have been insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the link between mirror neurons and action understanding.
  • To explore alternative accounts of enactive understanding.
  • To investigate the targeting mechanisms of mirror neurons.

Main Methods:

  • Review of standard sceptical arguments against mirror neuron function.
  • Analysis of proposed responses and theoretical frameworks.
  • Critical evaluation of existing models of enactive understanding.

Main Results:

  • Existing accounts of mirror neurons for action understanding are found wanting.
  • A more tenable account of enactive understanding is potentially feasible.
  • Questions arise regarding the specific targets and mechanisms of mirror neurons.

Conclusions:

  • Mirror neurons are crucial for non-mentalistic intersubjective engagement.
  • Current evidence suggests mirror neurons do not achieve full action understanding.
  • Further investigation into mirror neuron function is warranted.