Shared Representations: Sensorimotor Foundations of Social Life (Cambridge Social Neuroscience)

Sukhvinder S. Obhi; Emily S. Cross

ISBN 10: 1107050200 / ISBN 13: 9781107050204

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2016

About this Item

Hardcover, xxx + 667pp + 16 pages of colour plates, weight 1.2kg, NOT ex-library. Gentle handling wear only. Book is clean and bright throughout with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Issued without a dust jacket. -- A cornerstone text in the Cambridge Social Neuroscience series, this book explores how our brains "bridge the gap" between ourselves and others. It argues that social life is built on sensorimotor foundations - the idea that we understand other people's actions, emotions, and intentions by "mapping" them onto our own motor and sensory systems. The contributors examine how observing someone else perform an action activates the same neural circuits as performing that action ourselves (often linked to the mirror neuron system). The text explores how we "share" the affective states of others, providing a biological basis for empathy and emotional contagion. A significant portion is dedicated to how two or more individuals coordinate their physical movements to achieve a common goal, such as dancing, playing music, or moving furniture. The book looks at how social factors - like power dynamics or cultural background - can actually change how these shared representations function in the brain. The volume brings together experts from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, robotics, and philosophy to answer: How do we distinguish between our own actions and the actions of others? What happens when these shared systems "malfunction," such as in cases of autism or echopraxia? Can non-human agents (like robots) trigger these same shared representation systems in the human brain?

Seller Inventory # 012666

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Shared Representations: Sensorimotor Foundations of Social Life (Cambridge Social Neuroscience)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107050200
• ISBN 13: 9781107050204
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Socially situated thought and behaviour are pervasive and vitally important in human society. The social brain has become a focus of study for researchers in the neurosciences, psychology, biology and other areas of behavioural science, and it is becoming increasingly clear that social behaviour is heavily dependent on shared representations. Any social activity, from a simple conversation to a well-drilled military exercise to an exquisitely perfected dance routine, involves information sharing between the brains of those involved. This volume comprises a collection of cutting-edge essays centred on the idea of shared representations, broadly defined. Featuring contributions from established world leaders in their fields and written in a simultaneously accessible and detailed style, this is an invaluable resource for established researchers and those who are new to the field.

About the Authors

Sukhvinder S. Obhi is Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University.

Emily S. Cross is Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology, Bangor University.