Lecture 6: Understanding others (NSBED, UU)

Simulation theory: we understand others by simulating their states and executing their actions --> simulation in service of action understanding, or perhaps the other way around?

But how do we perceive action?

• We categorize behavior (context)
• Traits and stereotypes
• Goal inferences

Ideomotor action: thought leads to action

How does the mind move the body?

• Basic action preparation: premotor cortex (PMC) and supplementary motor area (SMA)
• Action execution: primary motor cortex (M1)

Motor programs guide our actions, but how do we know which programs to use?

• Learning through trial and error
• Theory of event coding: we represent and select actions in terms of their outcomes

So action-effect relations are learned. Actions are represented in terms of their effect. Thinking of an effect selects the corresponding motor pattern.

People control their actions because the representations for perception and action share common codes, that can be activated by seeing, thinking about or reading about other people’s actions or goals.

Mirror neurons: responded to the perception of action, but are also activated when doing the action yourself. Mirror neurons do not only react to the perceived action, but also to the goals of those actions. There is some evidence for mirror neurons in humans.

Cognitive empathy: understanding intentions, believes and mental states.

Affective empathy: understanding feelings, emotions and pain

There are areas of cognitive and affective empathy that overlap.

The Pinocchio Effect: the social Simon effect occurs for a real hand, but not for a wooden hand. But after watching the movie Pinocchio, the effects are the same as with humans.

Simon effect: there is a difference in accuracy or reaction time between congruent and incongruent trials.

There is evidence that complementary actions activate the mirror neuron system even more strongly.

So empathy and mirror neuron activation have something to do with each other. But how are they related and can empathy disorders such as autism be explained in terms of non-functioning mirror neurons? --> Children with autism are less able, or less motivated to mirror the actions that they see in front of them

So activation is dependent on motivation / capacity to understand others.

Conclusions:

• We may rely on our own action representations to understand actions of others
• However, simulation may be the result of action understanding rather than the other way around
• Dependent on capacity / motivation

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