The Mirror Neuron System and Social Cognition

Nathan A. Fox; Virginia C. Salo; Ranjan Debnath; Santiago Morales; Elizabeth G. Smith

doi:10.1017/9781108351959.018

18 - The Mirror Neuron System and Social Cognition

from Part IV - Action

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 September 2020

Santiago Morales and

Edited by

Jeffrey J. Lockman and

Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda

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Jeffrey J. Lockman: Affiliation:
Tulane University, Louisiana
Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda: Affiliation:
New York University

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Summary

The ability to understand others’ actions and intentions is at the core of human social competence. Action understanding, what it means and how it develops, has received much attention in developmental research because it is viewed as one of the most fundamental abilities in early social-cognitive development. For example, there is a growing body of evidence linking early action understanding with later theory of mind (Brooks & Meltzoff, 2015; Charman et al., 2000; Wellman, Phillips, Dunphy-Lelii, & LaLonde, 2004), and to the development of communicative skills (e.g., Brooks & Meltzoff, 2008). Increasing evidence suggests that the mirror neuron system (MNS) is a key neural correlate of action understanding. In this chapter, we discuss the role the MNS is thought to play in the development of social cognitive skills in infancy. We also discuss the current challenges of measuring the MNS that are unique to work with infants, what such studies have found in both typical and atypical populations, and how this work can impact our understanding of development.

Keywords

Mirror neuron system infant social cognition EEG mu rhythm NIRS ASD and mirror neuron system

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Infant Development
Brain, Behavior, and Cultural Context
, pp. 495 - 519

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108351959.018[Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2020

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