Researchers discovered that the neuronal activity in the brain of a monkey who simply watched another monkey pick up and eat a peanut was the same as the brain activity of the monkey actually performing these actions. These researchers were investigating:
A) cognitive maps and latent learning.
B) biological preparedness.
C) mirror neurons and the mirror neuron system.
D) higher order conditioning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The research described is focused on mirror neurons and the mirror neuron system. These neurons fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else perform the same action, leading to the possibility of empathy and imitation. Option A is incorrect as cognitive maps and latent learning deal with spatial information and memory respectively, and are not relevant here. Option B is incorrect as biological preparedness relates to the idea that we are evolutionarily predisposed to learn certain things easily, whereas this research deals specifically with the observation of actions. Option D is incorrect as higher order conditioning relates to classical conditioning, which is not relevant to this research.

Researchers Discovered That the Neuronal Activity in the Brain of a Monkey