TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Claudia Aguirre: Why is yawning contagious?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Oh, excuse me! Have you ever yenwad because somebody else yawned? You aren't especially tired, yet suddenly your mouth opens wide and a big yawn comes out. This phenomenon is known as contagious yawning. And while scientists still don't fully understand why it happens, there are many hypotheses currently being researched. Let's take a look at a few of the most prevalent ones, bignnneig with two phoiosgiaylcl hypotheses before moving to a psychological one. Our first physiological hypothesis states that contagious yawning is treregigd by a specific stimulus, an initial yawn. This is called fixed action ptaertn. Think of fxied action pattern like a reflex. Your yawn makes me yawn. slaiimr to a domino effect, one person's yawn trgiregs a yawn in a peosrn nearby that has observed the act. Once this reflex is triggered, it must run its course. Have you ever tried to stop a yawn once it has beugn? bcsilalay impossible! Another physiological htpyihseos is known as non-conscious miicmry, or the colheeman effect. This occurs when you imitate someone's behavior without knowing it, a subtle and unintentional copycat maneuver. People tend to mmiic each other's postures. If you are seated across from someone that has their legs crossed, you might cross your own legs. This hypothesis suggests that we yawn when we see someone else yawn because we are unconsciously copying his or her behavior. Scientists believe that this chameleon effect is possible because of a special set of neuorns known as mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that rpsondes equally when we perform an action as when we see someone else perform the same action. These neurons are important for learning and self-awareness. For example, watching someone do something physical, like knitting or putting on lipstick, can help you do those same aotncis more actcrauley. Neuroimaging studies using fMRI, fncatounil magnetic resonance inaigmg, show us that when we seem someone yawn or even hear their yawn, a specific area of the brain housing these mirror neurons tends to light up, which, in turn, causes us to respond with the same action: a yawn! Our psychological hypothesis also involves the work of these mirror neurons. We will call it the empathy yawn. Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is feeling and partake in their emotion, a crucial ability for siocal animals like us. Recently, neuroscientists have found that a subset of mirror neurons allows us to empathize with others' feinlegs at a deeper level. (Yawn) Scientists discovered this empathetic rseponse to ynainwg while testing the first hypothesis we mentioned, fixed action pattern. This study was set up to show that dogs would enact a yawn rleefx at the mere sound of a human yawn. While their study swohed this to be true, they found something else itnstierneg. Dogs yawned more fnuteelqry at familiar ynaws, such as from their owners, than at unfimliaar yawns from strangers. Following this research, other studies on humans and priteams have also sohwn that contagious yawning occurs more frequently among friends than strangers. In fact, contagious yawning sattrs occurring when we are about four or five years old, at the point when children develop the ability to identify others' emotions peprroly. Still, while newer scientific studies aim to prove that contagious yawning is based on this capacity for empathy, more research is ndeeed to shed lhigt on what exactly is going on. It's possible that the answer lies in another hypothesis altogether. The next time you get caught in a yawn, take a second to think about what just happened. Were you thinking about a yawn? Did someone near you yawn? Was that person a stranger or someone close? And are you yawning right now? (Yawn) (Lip smacking)

Open Cloze

Oh, excuse me! Have you ever ______ because somebody else yawned? You aren't especially tired, yet suddenly your mouth opens wide and a big yawn comes out. This phenomenon is known as contagious yawning. And while scientists still don't fully understand why it happens, there are many hypotheses currently being researched. Let's take a look at a few of the most prevalent ones, _________ with two _____________ hypotheses before moving to a psychological one. Our first physiological hypothesis states that contagious yawning is _________ by a specific stimulus, an initial yawn. This is called fixed action _______. Think of _____ action pattern like a reflex. Your yawn makes me yawn. _______ to a domino effect, one person's yawn ________ a yawn in a ______ nearby that has observed the act. Once this reflex is triggered, it must run its course. Have you ever tried to stop a yawn once it has _____? _________ impossible! Another physiological __________ is known as non-conscious _______, or the _________ effect. This occurs when you imitate someone's behavior without knowing it, a subtle and unintentional copycat maneuver. People tend to _____ each other's postures. If you are seated across from someone that has their legs crossed, you might cross your own legs. This hypothesis suggests that we yawn when we see someone else yawn because we are unconsciously copying his or her behavior. Scientists believe that this chameleon effect is possible because of a special set of _______ known as mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that ________ equally when we perform an action as when we see someone else perform the same action. These neurons are important for learning and self-awareness. For example, watching someone do something physical, like knitting or putting on lipstick, can help you do those same _______ more __________. Neuroimaging studies using fMRI, __________ magnetic resonance _______, show us that when we seem someone yawn or even hear their yawn, a specific area of the brain housing these mirror neurons tends to light up, which, in turn, causes us to respond with the same action: a yawn! Our psychological hypothesis also involves the work of these mirror neurons. We will call it the empathy yawn. Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is feeling and partake in their emotion, a crucial ability for ______ animals like us. Recently, neuroscientists have found that a subset of mirror neurons allows us to empathize with others' ________ at a deeper level. (Yawn) Scientists discovered this empathetic ________ to _______ while testing the first hypothesis we mentioned, fixed action pattern. This study was set up to show that dogs would enact a yawn ______ at the mere sound of a human yawn. While their study ______ this to be true, they found something else ___________. Dogs yawned more __________ at familiar _____, such as from their owners, than at __________ yawns from strangers. Following this research, other studies on humans and ________ have also _____ that contagious yawning occurs more frequently among friends than strangers. In fact, contagious yawning ______ occurring when we are about four or five years old, at the point when children develop the ability to identify others' emotions ________. Still, while newer scientific studies aim to prove that contagious yawning is based on this capacity for empathy, more research is ______ to shed _____ on what exactly is going on. It's possible that the answer lies in another hypothesis altogether. The next time you get caught in a yawn, take a second to think about what just happened. Were you thinking about a yawn? Did someone near you yawn? Was that person a stranger or someone close? And are you yawning right now? (Yawn) (Lip smacking)

Solution

needed
responds
frequently
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person
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mimicry
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chameleon
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Original Text

Oh, excuse me! Have you ever yawned because somebody else yawned? You aren't especially tired, yet suddenly your mouth opens wide and a big yawn comes out. This phenomenon is known as contagious yawning. And while scientists still don't fully understand why it happens, there are many hypotheses currently being researched. Let's take a look at a few of the most prevalent ones, beginning with two physiological hypotheses before moving to a psychological one. Our first physiological hypothesis states that contagious yawning is triggered by a specific stimulus, an initial yawn. This is called fixed action pattern. Think of fixed action pattern like a reflex. Your yawn makes me yawn. Similar to a domino effect, one person's yawn triggers a yawn in a person nearby that has observed the act. Once this reflex is triggered, it must run its course. Have you ever tried to stop a yawn once it has begun? Basically impossible! Another physiological hypothesis is known as non-conscious mimicry, or the chameleon effect. This occurs when you imitate someone's behavior without knowing it, a subtle and unintentional copycat maneuver. People tend to mimic each other's postures. If you are seated across from someone that has their legs crossed, you might cross your own legs. This hypothesis suggests that we yawn when we see someone else yawn because we are unconsciously copying his or her behavior. Scientists believe that this chameleon effect is possible because of a special set of neurons known as mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that responds equally when we perform an action as when we see someone else perform the same action. These neurons are important for learning and self-awareness. For example, watching someone do something physical, like knitting or putting on lipstick, can help you do those same actions more accurately. Neuroimaging studies using fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging, show us that when we seem someone yawn or even hear their yawn, a specific area of the brain housing these mirror neurons tends to light up, which, in turn, causes us to respond with the same action: a yawn! Our psychological hypothesis also involves the work of these mirror neurons. We will call it the empathy yawn. Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is feeling and partake in their emotion, a crucial ability for social animals like us. Recently, neuroscientists have found that a subset of mirror neurons allows us to empathize with others' feelings at a deeper level. (Yawn) Scientists discovered this empathetic response to yawning while testing the first hypothesis we mentioned, fixed action pattern. This study was set up to show that dogs would enact a yawn reflex at the mere sound of a human yawn. While their study showed this to be true, they found something else interesting. Dogs yawned more frequently at familiar yawns, such as from their owners, than at unfamiliar yawns from strangers. Following this research, other studies on humans and primates have also shown that contagious yawning occurs more frequently among friends than strangers. In fact, contagious yawning starts occurring when we are about four or five years old, at the point when children develop the ability to identify others' emotions properly. Still, while newer scientific studies aim to prove that contagious yawning is based on this capacity for empathy, more research is needed to shed light on what exactly is going on. It's possible that the answer lies in another hypothesis altogether. The next time you get caught in a yawn, take a second to think about what just happened. Were you thinking about a yawn? Did someone near you yawn? Was that person a stranger or someone close? And are you yawning right now? (Yawn) (Lip smacking)

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
contagious yawning	5
mirror neurons	5
fixed action	3
action pattern	3
physiological hypothesis	2
chameleon effect	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
fixed action pattern	3

Important Words

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