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Mirroring Brains combines neuroscience, psychology and philosophy to provide a comprehensive account of one of the most intriguing discoveries of the last 30 years--the discovery of mirror neurons. These neurons are characterized by firing both when someone performs an action, and also when they observe the same action being performed by others. Whereas it was widely regarded as characteristic of only a small subset of neurons, recent discoveries have shown that the mirror property is a fundamental principle of the functioning of the whole brain. Exploring this discovery, Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia explain how we are able to immediately understand others'actions and emotions, providing a deeper understanding of how we relate to each other and introducing the idea of'understanding from the inside'. Mirroring Brains provides a new interpretation of the property and function of mirror neurons, allowing readers an insight into a fundamental principle of brain function. Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia provide a rich survey of the main neuronal and psychological findings concerning the mirror mechanism, plus an extensive discussion of its potential role in social cognition. It is an essential read for neuroscientists, psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, and anyone who is interested in understanding how we relate to each other.

Second volume in the Homo Mimeticus mini-series, which advances the emerging transdisciplinary field of mimetic studies After the linguistic and the affective turns, the new materialist and the performative turns, the cognitive and the posthuman turns, it is now time to re-turn to the ancient, yet also modern and still contemporary realization that humans are mimetic creatures. In this second installment of the Homo Mimeticus series, international scholars working in philosophy, literary theory, classics, cultural studies, sociology, political theory, and the neurosciences engage creatively with Nidesh Lawtoo's Homo Mimeticus: A New Theory of Imitation to further the transdisciplinary field of mimetic studies. Agonistic critical engagements with precursors like Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Bataille, Irigaray and Girard, involving contributions by leading international thinkers such as Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen, William E. Connolly, Henry Staten and Vittorio Gallese among many others, reveal the urgency to rethink mimesis beyond realism. From imitation to identification, mimicry to affective contagion, techne to simulation, mirror neurons to biomimicry, homo mimeticus casts a shadow—but also a light—on the present and future, from social media to the Anthropocene.

This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Greg Hickok, Professor of Cognitive science at UC Irvine, where he directs the Center for Language Science and the Auditory and Language Neuroscience Lab. This conversation examines Greg Hickok's neuroscientific research related to speech and language which led him to eventually reject many aspects of the mirror neuron hypothesis, while giving his views on the mechanisms behind imitation and what mirror neurons really do. This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.

Parents, friends, teachers, relatives, and even work colleagues – from the people close to us to those we never even meet – other people are constantly shaping who we are.The mirror neuron is a part of the brain that has shaped each and every one of us throughout our lifetimes. It is the very essence of what makes us human, but most of us have never even heard of it. Mirror Thinking explores how the mirror neuron has defined us through the role models we observe and interact with. All of the learning we take from our world is down to our brain's mirror system, but it doesn't stop there. This incredible system is also responsible for our emotional connections with others, how we pass on learning between the generations through stories, and how we imagine and innovate within our own minds. In Mirror Thinking, psychologist and award-winning author Fiona Murden looks at the mirrors that have shaped our lives. By having a better understanding of this system we are able to take conscious control of it, encouraging us to have a more positive impact on the world around us and on society as a whole.

Immaginiamo un neurone che comanda i movimenti della nostra mano: tutte le volte che il neurone'spara', la mano afferra la tazzina. Immaginiamo che lo stesso neurone'spari'anche quando è un'altra persona ad afferrare la tazzina. Sembra un'invenzione per un film di fantascienza, e invece neuroni così esistono veramente e fanno parte del nostro sistema motorio. Quella che i neuroni specchio hanno portato nelle neuroscienze è una rivoluzione, grazie alla quale il sistema motorio non è più un semplice esecutore di comandi, ma svolge un ruolo primario nello sviluppo delle funzioni cognitive.

Mirror Neurons are one of the most extraordinary discoveries of contemporary neuroscience. They explain, on a scientific level, why we understand other people's behavior to a deep degree. They were discovered by Professor Giacomo Rizzolatti, who wrote the preface to this book. Our aim here is to provide basic knowledge of the key concepts of this discovery through the use of clear language and many illustrations. The book also covers the effects of Mirror Neurons in our daily lives and in the mechanisms that regulate social interactions, so we can learn how to handle them in a more effective way.

This Open Access book presents the current state of the art knowledge on social and affective neuroscience based on empirical findings. This volume is divided into several sections first guiding the reader through important theoretical topics within affective neuroscience, social neuroscience and moral emotions, and clinical neuroscience. Each chapter addresses everyday social interactions and various aspects of social interactions from a different angle taking the reader on a diverse journey. The last section of the book is of methodological nature. Basic information is presented for the reader to learn about common methodologies used in neuroscience alongside advanced input to deepen the understanding and usability of these methods in social and affective neuroscience for more experienced readers.