Embodied simulation and its role in social cognition

Conférence midi in partnership with cinEXmedia

Amphithéâtre Le Groupe Maurice du CRIUGM, 4545 chemin Queen-Mary, Montréal (Qc) H3W 1W5

Speaker: Vittorio Galesse M.D., Professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology, Department of Surgery and Medicine, University of Parma, Italy

Embodied simulation – a basic functional mechanism of our brain – and its neural underpinnings are discussed and connected to intersubjectivity and social cognition. Embodied simulation provides a unified account of both non-verbal and verbal aspects of interpersonal relations that likely play a role in shaping the Self, its relation to others, and shared cultural practices. Embodied simulation might shed new light on human social nature and promote a potentially fruitful and mutually enriching multidisciplinary dialogue between neuroscience, medicine and the humanities.