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Understanding "What" or Understanding "How": Mirroring or Mentalizing Other Person\u0027s Actions. A New Approach to Neuroimaging of the Social Brain

, , , , , and . (2017)

Abstract

The mirror neuron system (MNS) and the mentalizing system (MENT) are both important in social interaction 1. Previous studies in the field of social cognitive neuroscience mainly investigated MNS and MENT separately 2. The stimuli used in these studies were always substantially different (videos of human motion for MNS vs. verbal or written stories for MENT). To provide the systematic study of both systems we designed video-stimuli, which (together with two specific forced-choice questions) differentially activate both systems. The usage of virtual characters for the investigation of nonverbal behavior has been proven to be eco- logically valid 3. Our design will allow to discriminate more precisely between the two systems and help get a better understanding of the underlying neural basis. Furthermore it may provide new insights into the neurobiology of psychopathological conditions including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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