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More than associations: An ideomotor perspective on mirror neurons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2014

Marcel Brass
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. [email protected]@ugent.behttp://users.ugent.be/~mbrass/Web-Site/Dr._Marcel_Brass.html
Paul S. Muhle-Karbe
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. [email protected]@ugent.behttp://users.ugent.be/~mbrass/Web-Site/Dr._Marcel_Brass.html

Abstract

In this commentary, we propose an extension of the associative approach of mirror neurons, namely, ideomotor theory. Ideomotor theory assumes that actions are controlled by anticipatory representations of their sensory consequences. As we outline below, this extension is necessary to clarify a number of empirical observations that are difficult to explain from a purely associative perspective.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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