August 19th, 2006 Fred McVittie Posted in Grasp, Metaphor, Mirror neurons, Neuroscience |
It has been shown that the areas of the brain which are activated when we carry out an action, say grasping, are also activated when we imagine the activity. This is sometimes referred to as a simulation. Furthermore, these same areas are activated when we read about or witness someone else carrying out the action of grasping. This simulation, or mirroring of the action seems to be a key component in understanding the action or the meaning of the word (Feldman and Narayanan 2004), and the process is occasionally referred to as the action of ‘mirror neurons’.
The significance of these findings for metaphor studies is that these same areas of the brain are also activated when we read about or hear an utterance which makes metaphorical use of the term ‘to grasp’, for example; to grasp and idea; to grasp an opportunity. This implies that the metaphorical mapping of concrete, body-based concepts onto abstract concepts is not only a function of the minds cognitive processes, but is also taking place at a neural level. The patterns of neuronal firings which occur during metaphor usage are, in effect, the neural correlates of concepts.
The implication of these findings for educators and students will be discussed, particularly in relation to the teaching and learning of abstract or metaphysical concepts.