Ebook: Beyond Mirror Neurons : A Conversation with Greg Hickok

This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Greg Hickok, Professor of Cognitive science at UC Irvine, where he directs the Center for Language Science and the Auditory and Language Neuroscience Lab. This conversation examines Greg Hickok's neuroscientific research related to speech and language which led him to eventually reject many aspects of the mirror neuron hypothesis, while giving his views on the mechanisms behind imitation and what mirror neurons really do.This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.CHAPTERS:I. Talking Neuroscience - Speech, language and cognitionII. Enter Mirror Neurons - Grasping monkeys and old theoriesIII. One Size Fits All? - The kitchen sink of cognitive scienceIV. Imitation - What it is and what it isn'tV. Seeking a Controller - Structural investigationsVI. The Community Responds - Sceptics and believersVII. A Different Perspective - Prediction and sensory statesVIII. Sociological Explorations - The merits of primary sourcesIX. Neuroplasticity - Speculations on the underlying mechanismsX. On the Front Burner - Lots to investigateABOUT IDEAS ROADSHOW CONVERSATIONS:Ideas Roadshow Conversations present a wealth of candid insights from leading experts through a focused yet informal setting. Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.