| View Larger Image | Mirror Neurons and the Evolution of Brain and Language (Advances in Consciousness Research, 42) | Paperbackby Maksim I. Stamenov (Editor), Vittorio Gallese (Editor)
| List Price: | $108.00 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | John Benjamins Publishing Co | | Page Count: | 390 Pages | | Publication Date: | December 01, 2002 | | Sales Rank: | 1,370,549st |
|
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 1 review)
|
Decision making neurons, an early conference by Mark Mills (Glen Rose, TX USA)  5 Stars
September 17, 2005
The book brings together selected contributions to the symposium a *Mirror Neurons and the Evolution of Brain and Language" (July 5-8, 2000 in Germany). The aim of the symposium was to discuss the status of so called 'mirror neurons' and their potential consequences on our understanding of the brain evolution, social intelligence, behavioral role identification and theory of mind.
It is hard to overestimate the importance of this discovery. First of all, it provides a new model of cognition which is based on neuro-biology rather than intellectual speculation on our private sense of 'existence'. Currently, it is widely believed that such specifically human activities as language and the use of tools depend on wide scale developments and re-organization of neural functioning. These hypothesized neural features involve cascading networks of neural circuits with the highest level of unification, effectively engaging 'the brain as a whole.' It is important to note the 'source' of cognition according to this model. Cognition is the final outcome of analysis initiated by reception of sensory data. By accumulating many small decisions, the 'whole' emerges. This cognitive entity (a thought, perhaps) ends up producing responses (actions). Action is thus the end product of analysis. In terms of pop psychology, network enough computers and cognition will eventually emerge.
The discovery of mirror neurons by Rizzolatti and Arbib provide a strong argument against the 'cognition requires the whole brain' theory. The properties of mirror neurons seem to suggest instead that the so-called 'motor functions' of the nervous system are more complex than we have expected. Instead of building the brain from a single neural cell type, there seem to be at least 3 nerve types:
1) Motor neuron which stimulate muscle contraction,
2) Communication neurons which link motor neurons to the brain
3) Mirror neurons which, for lack of a better term, make decisions.
Yes, mirror neurons demonstrate single cell decision making abilities. Not only do mirror neurons, on an individual level, demonstrate an ability to control and execute action, they also demonstrate the ability to maintain an internal representation and compare that representation to sensory input. This is the antithesis of the 'whole brain' theory. It posits cognition exists at the cellular level. In this view, action-control and action-representation are both capacities of individual mirror neuron. Cognition precedes sensation. It exists of and for itself. Cognition seeks sensation rather then being the product of sensation.
Think about it.
I apologize for going into such broad speculations and ignoring specifics on the book in question. Be assured the above is my attempt to summarize important concepts raised by various articles.
The book is organized into 4 sections. Of the 4, only the first specifically addresses 'mirror neuron' research. The four sections are:
1) Current mirror neuron research.
2) Neurology papers that shed light on areas of interest to mirror neuron research.
3) Evolution papers that seek to use insights gained by mirror-neuron research
4) Computational models based on mirror-neuron models
The articles are uneven in quality. Keep in mind the timing of the conference. The year was 2000, prior to the 2004 reports that mirror neuron disfunction was implicated in autism. Some of the articles (Birten) understand the paradigm shift and anticipate the link, others miss the point.
| |
SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| Mirrors in the Brain: How Our Minds Share Actions, Emotions, and Experience
by Giacomo Rizzolatti (Author), Corrado Sinigaglia (Author), Frances Anderson (Translator)
Emotions and actions are powerfully contagious; when we see someone laugh, cry, show disgust, or experience pain, in some sense, we share that emotion. When we see someone in distress, we share that distress. When we see a great actor, musician or sportsperson perform at the peak of their abilities, it can feel like we are experiencing just something of what they are experiencing. Yet only recently, with the discover of mirror neurons, has it become clear just how this powerful sharing of...
| 
| Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others
by Marco Iacoboni (Author)
What accounts for the remarkable ability to get inside another person’s head—to know what they’re thinking and feeling? “Mind reading” is the very heart of what it means to be human, creating a bridge between self and others that is fundamental to the development of culture and society. But until recently, scientists didn’t understand what in the brain makes it possible. This has all changed in the last decade. Marco Iacoboni, a leading neuroscientist whose work has been covered in...
| 
| Action to Language via the Mirror Neuron System
by Michael A. Arbib (Editor)
Mirror neurons may hold the brain's key to social interaction - each coding not only a particular action or emotion but also the recognition of that action or emotion in others. The Mirror System Hypothesis adds an evolutionary arrow to the story - from the mirror system for hand actions, shared with monkeys and chimpanzees, to the uniquely human mirror system for language. In this volume, written to be accessible to a wide audience, experts from child development, computer science,...
| 
| Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World
by Chris Frith (Author)
Written by one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, Making Up the Mind is the first accessible account of experimental studies showing how the brain creates our mental world.
Uses evidence from brain imaging, psychological experiments and studies of patients to explore the relationship between the mind and the brain
Demonstrates that our knowledge of both the mental and physical comes to us through models created by our brain
Shows how the brain makes communication of ideas...
| 
| The Neuroscience of Social Interaction: Decoding, Imitating, and Influencing the Actions of Others
by Christopher D. Frith (Editor), Daniel M. Wolpert (Editor)
Humans, like other primates, are intensely social creatures. One of the major functions of our brains must be to enable us to be as skilful in social interactions as we are in our interactions with the physical world (e.g. recognising objects and grasping them). Furthermore, any differences between human brains and those of our nearest relatives, the great apes, are likely to be linked to our unique achievements in social interaction and communication rather than our motor or perceptual skills....
|
|
|
