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The role of the motor system in action understanding and communication: Evidence from human infants and non‐human primates
Author(s) -
Salo Virginia C.,
Ferrari Pier F.,
Fox Nathan A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21779
Subject(s) - action (physics) , psychology , gesture , cognitive science , perception , cognition , motor system , neuroscience , non human , motor cognition , empirical evidence , cognitive psychology , social cognition , communication , developmental psychology , epistemology , computer science , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , computer vision
There is growing evidence that activation of the motor system during observation of actions, a phenomenon first observed in non‐human primates, underlies action understanding and even communication. This review (a) examines the evidence on motor system activity as an underlying neural correlate of action understanding; (b) reviews the theoretical and empirical work linking action understanding and the development of communication, with a specific focus on the role that gestures play as an intermediary; and (c) discusses the research on and existing opportunities for understanding the link between the motor system and communication in both humans and non‐human primates, through the lens of action perception. Bringing together findings and perspectives from developmental social cognition in both humans and non‐human primates and applying recent neuroscientific perspectives will help to elucidate the processes underlying the ability to understand and communicate with others.