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Running Head: BRAIN OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING 1
BRAIN OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING 3
Brain observational learning
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Biological preparedness is the notion that there is a naturally created connection between some stimuli and responses and appealing to the history of evolution. Evolution has resulted in some people reacting more negatively to particular neutral stimuli due to other stimuli that have been linked with them and could be dangerous and harmful. I believe that we possess biological preparedness for learning. Natura selection animals are normally prepared to learn from various associations better than others due to the predictive power in the evolutionary past of the animal (Alisop, 2016).
The human brain is wired for observational learning. Observational learning is a type of learning that takes place through observing other people. It is an important evolutionary benefit since it enables people to avoid potential danger without necessarily directly experiencing it. Much of what everyone learns every day is through observation. In the brain, there is a subset of amygdala neurons that requires input from ACC neurons when learning, for them to encode the predictive information concerning the cue that drives learning (III, 2012).
Mirror neurons play a crucial role in learning tasks that include hand-eye coordination, sometimes acquisition of language skills, and even required social skills. Mirror neurons were discovered in the 80s by an Italian team that was led by Rizzolatti Giacomo. For instance, in monkeys, it was observed that some neurons responded in the same way when monkeys saw an individual pick up some food as when they were doing it themselves. This shows that mirror neurons are neurons capable of being triggered by imitation and as a mechanism used for learning and empathizing in various social situations (Hickok, 2014).
References
Alisop, S. A. (2016). Decoding observational learning: A circuit-level analysis of the social brain.
Hickok, G. (2014). The myth of mirror neurons: The real neuroscience of communication and cognition. W W Norton & Company.