meltzoff and moore describe a neurological explanation claiming mirror neurons as the true mechanism linking “sensory input from observed actions to motor programs.” found in the adult rhesus monkey cortex, similar areas in the human cortex are thought to also contain these neurons, although evidence is still debated. theoretically, both the intermodal mapping model and mirror neurons function through automatic low-level processes meant to facilitate imitation. with hebbian theory in mind, mirror neurons cannot be innate. they could, however, gain responsiveness through “postnatal experience,” which meltzoff acknowledges as a part of the intermodal model’s nature as an imitation mechanism.