From: Vincent Campbell (VCampbell@dmu.ac.uk)
Date: Tue 06 Jan 2004 - 12:30:29 GMT
Hi,
Could be completely wrong, but isn't this something to do with so called
mirror neurons?
Vincent
> ----------
> From: Ray Recchia
> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Sent: Friday, December 26, 2003 3:30 PM
> To: MEMetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: Empathy
>
> As a "meme in the mind" person one of the things that interests me is
> empathy in humans and other species. When we see someone stub their toe
> or bang their head, we frequently wince in sympathy. We recognize what
> they are feeling and to a certain extent reproduce it in our heads. To my
> way of thinking, human empathy was a prerequisite for the development of
> language. In order for concepts to transfer from mind to mind, I think we
> had to have the ability to recognize that what was in our heads had
> analogies in the heads of others.
>
> I know I'm going to have to do a little research, but I suspect the
> experiments have already been done showing that when a person views
> something painful or otherwise emotional powerful happening to someone
> else, regions in the brain are activated in the person viewing the event
> that are similar to the ones in the person that the event is actually
> happening to.
>
> A quick search on Google came up with the following article:
>
> Neuroscientists Searching For Roots Of Empathy Find Brain Regions Involved
> In Learning By Imitation
> http://www.washington.edu/newsroom/news/2002archive/01-02archive/k012202.h
> tml
>
> I'd be interested in any similar studies anyone else has found. I would
> also be interested in seeing what results animal studies have produced.
>
> Raymond Recchia
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