Book contents
- Shared Representations
- Cambridge Social Neuroscience
- Shared Representations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Foundations
- Part II Imitation and Mimicry
- Part III Thinking, Perceiving and Acting with Others
- Part IV Understanding Others
- Part V Learning and Development
- 21 Shared Interoceptive Representations
- 22 Mirror Neuron Formation via Associative Learning
- 23 Disorders of Shared Representations
- 24 Learning by Diffusion
- 25 Observational Motor Learning
- 26 The Impact of Action Expertise on Shared Representations
- Part VI Shared Representations in Applied Contexts
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
- References
25 - Observational Motor Learning
from Part V - Learning and Development
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 October 2016
- Shared Representations
- Cambridge Social Neuroscience
- Shared Representations
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Foundations
- Part II Imitation and Mimicry
- Part III Thinking, Perceiving and Acting with Others
- Part IV Understanding Others
- Part V Learning and Development
- 21 Shared Interoceptive Representations
- 22 Mirror Neuron Formation via Associative Learning
- 23 Disorders of Shared Representations
- 24 Learning by Diffusion
- 25 Observational Motor Learning
- 26 The Impact of Action Expertise on Shared Representations
- Part VI Shared Representations in Applied Contexts
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
- References
Summary
To survive, we must interact with an ever-changing world. Our capacity to move accurately in a range of environments lies in the brain’s ability to flexibly modify our motor behavior. For example, simply holding an object in the hand changes the arm’s dynamic environment. That is, the additional weight of the object changes the relationship between applied forces and motion such that the brain’s motor commands and muscle forces no longer result in the intended arm movement. In order to skillfully manipulate the object, the brain must alter its motor commands to compensate for the object’s weight and achieve a desired movement. Subsequent movements are improved with time and practice; this process is called motor learning. While many of our motor skills are acquired and refined through active physical practice, we can also learn how to make movements by observing others. This is referred to as observational motor learning. This chapter will begin with a brief overview of modern studies of human motor learning, followed by a discussion of how these concepts relate to observational motor learning.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Shared RepresentationsSensorimotor Foundations of Social Life, pp. 525 - 540Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2016
References
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