Neural Basis of Social Interaction - Chris Frith

Neuropsychologist Christ Frith on mirror neurons, perception of biological motion, and mentalizing

[FourthOneIsIt]

Although no direct connection has been found between the seeing part of the brain and turning that into performing a viewed action oneself, nevertheless, no sighted person is not able to copy another's action. There isn't a built-in lag time, either. Once a child has learned minimum control of the child's own hands and arms, mimicking follows, thoughtlessly, it appears. Watching family pets reveals that even non-human animals will mimic what they see, will turn viewed actions into performance. It's so common as to be unremarkable. Isn't it?