Mirror Neurons, the Motor System and Language
From the Motor Theory to Embodied Cognition and Beyond
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4441366 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jonathan H Venezia (0000-0003-0901-5527), Gregory Hickok |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1403-1416 |
| Publication date | 2009-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language and Linguistics Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-818X • E-ISSN: 1749-818X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1749-818x.2009.00169.x |
| OpenAlex | W2043637204 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 66 |
The motor theory of speech perception states that phonetic segments in the acoustic speech stream activate stored motor commands in the brain that give rise to perception of discrete speech sounds. The motor theory fell out of favor when growing evidence from lesion and behavioral studies led aspects of the theory to appear untenable. However, with the recent discovery of mirror neurons and their potential role in action understanding, interest in the motor theory of speech perception is renewed. We review the function and properties of mirror neurons in monkeys, and briefly describe the current literature that focuses on the role of a putative human mirror system in cognition and language processing. Further, we describe proposed evidence for the involvement of the motor system in perceptive speech processing, and point out ambiguities in the literature that arise from the tight coupling of sensory and motor processes in speech comprehension. An alternative theory proposing that sensory representations in superior temporal cortex are mapped onto frontal production networks is offered. We cite evidence that confirms the failure of the motor theory to accurately describe perceptive processes in speech, and promote the conclusion that speech representations are fundamentally sensory in nature
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Comprehension · Embodied cognition · Mirror neuron · Motor system · Motor theory of speech perception · Neurocomputational speech processing · Perception · Sensory system · Speech perception · Speech production · Speech recognition · Theory of mind · Action Observation and Synchronization · Child and Animal Learning Development · Computer Science · Multisensory perception and integration · Neuroscience · Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
Hearing lips and seeing voices
The cortical organization of speech processing
Understanding motor events
Motor facilitation during action observation
Cortical Mechanisms of Human Imitation
Functional links between motor and language systems
The motor theory of speech perception reviewed
Dorsal and ventral streams
Perception of the speech code.
Selective adaptation of linguistic feature detectors
Language within our grasp
Action recognition in the premotor cortex
The motor theory of speech perception revised
Hearing Sounds, Understanding Actions
The Mirror-Neuron System
Towards an articulatory phonology
Understanding Aphasia
| Citations per year | 0.2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2011 - 2016 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |