Observational learning is present in human’s life from the very beginning. It is a specific learning process based on the observation of the other people’s behavior as a source of getting new knowledge. Observational learning is essential for motor skills acquisition during all period of human life.
It is one of the most important abilities of human brain that is always changing and is connected with the vision. These synapses hit a peak at 10 months and then they gradually fall till 10 years age when they flatten out. This pattern plays the key role for the observational learning and therefore it is important to take into account certain critical periods when neural connections and pathways have specific ability to act.
Mirror neurons are neuron cells of the certain type that are situated in the human’s brain that transmit signals for intended movements and therefore carry them out. Muthukumaraswamy underlines the specific feature of mirror neurons to function at a certain moment when certain actions are being observed (Muthukumaraswamy et al. 107). Neurons give the ability to watch and to concentrate on the particular part of the task or an action. This evokes motor systems of human organism during the observation of the particular action. Therefore, we get the ability to learn to imitate the performed actions with the help of the processes that occur in the brain (Meltzoff, Brooks 147-148). This leads to the role of mirror neurons in the children’s’ ability to learn.
Mirror neurons activate with the emergence of the particular chain of actions that are connected to the humans’ intention. After that, they give a person certain sample to follow. This is a specific model for the other individuals to analyze and a pattern for the future prediction.
Works Cited
Meltzoff, A. N., Brooks, R. “Intersubjectivity before language: Three windows on preverbal sharing.” In S. Bråten (Ed.), On being moved: From mirror neurons to empathy. (2006): 149-174. Jun. 2007. Print.
Muthukumaraswamy, S.D., Johnson, B.W., Gaetz, W.C., Cheyne, D.O. “Neural Processing of Observed Oro-Facial Movements Reflects Multiple Action Encoding Strategies in the Human Brain.” Cognitive Brain Research 1071. (2006): 105-112. Print.
