Abstract:
Mirror neurons, first identified in the monkey brain, respond both when an animal makes a hand movement and when it observes another individual making the same movement. A corresponding but more elaborate system in the human brain has emerged to incorporate such social functions as language, empathy, theory of mind, and cultural learning. The roles of mirror neurons suggest that the mind functions as an embodied system, grounded in real-world simulations, rather than a system based on the manipulation of abstract symbols.