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1 results

  • 18 - The Mirror Neuron System and Social Cognition
  • from Part IV - Action
  • Edited by Jeffrey J. Lockman, Tulane University, Louisiana, Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda, New York University
  • Book: The Cambridge Handbook of Infant Development
  • Published online: 26 September 2020
  • Print publication: 13 August 2020, pp 495-519
  • View extract

    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.