ABSTRACT
There.is.a.large.body.of.evidence.to.support.the.idea.that.actions.are.represented.in.the.brain.via. specific. computational. mechanisms. underpinned. by. neural. structures. similar. to. those. recruited. during.action.execution..Examination.of.the.processes.that.mediate.motor.representation.singularly. offers.a.window.into.the.automatic.and.covert.planning-to-execution.motor.translations.that.occur. during.voluntary.movement.sequences..Indeed,.motor.representation.and.its.role.in.the.evaluation. and.planning.of.action.has.come.to.be.known.as.a.categorically.distinct.modality.of.representation.. One.by-product.of.this.organization.is.the.functional.connection.motor.representation.appears.to. serve.between.the.mind.and.the.body,.a.relation.encapsulated.within.the.thesis.of.embodied.cognition..Because.motor.representation.inherently.involves.aspects.of.both.body.and.mind,.it.presents. as.the.most.obvious.candidate.for.wedding.this.dichotomy..But.the.functional.connection.has.also. surfaced.through.the.number.of.studies.demonstrating.that.action.or.the.simulation.of.it.relates.to. a.variety.of.mental.operations,. including.action.understanding,.object.naming,. self-identity,. and. memory..Theories.of.embodied.cognition.impart.the.notion.that.the.current.motor.state.pervades.all. of.our.cognitive.states.and.emotions.
