Although seeing is commonly experienced as a unitary activity, the scientific description of vision resists such an intuitive account. Both psychologists and neuroscientists are in agreement with the idea that the elaboration of visual information is distributed across several different routes provided with different functions. Importantly, these routes can be mapped onto well-identified anatomical subdivision of the visual system. Crucially, although originally based on the assumption that different visual information are elaborated via different neural channels, such a model is nowadays (...) used as a tool for indicating a common neural basis between action and perception. The present review is aimed at providing a description of how the modular model of visual system has developed from a model where action and perception are considered as segregate to a model where action and perception are considered ass two labels of the same concept. (shrink)

The ideo-motor theory of actions, which has been strongly criticized during the last century, is currently receiving new interest in both cognitive psychology and philosophy. In this paper I will describe the principal theoretical reasons of this renewed attention. More particularly, here I will propose that the functioning of the mirror neurons’ system is a very useful tool to describe how the classic concept of ideo-motor action is close to the contemporary concept of simulated action.