Imitation in infancy: The wealth of the stimulus (original) (raw)
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Neonatal imitation and its sensory-motor mechanism
New Frontiers in Mirror Neuron Research (Book), 2015
A developmental approach is critical to understanding mirror neurons and debates surrounding their properties, plasticity, function, and evolution. The presence of inter--individual differences in early social competencies, such as neonatal imitation, are indicative of the complex nature of interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and non--genetic (environmental) factors in shaping action--perception brain networks. In the present review, we propose that three aspects of early social development may explain variability in neonatal imitation, specifically (1) individual differences in sensory--motor matching skills, underpinned by mirror neurons, functioning from birth and refined through postnatal experiences, (2) individual differences in social engagements, with some infants demonstrating stronger preferences for social interactions than others, and (3) more general temperamental differences, such as differences in extroversion or reactivity. We present findings and propose future directions aimed at testing these possibilities by examining individual differences related to imitative skill. Neonatal imitation is a useful tool for assessing infants' sensory--motor matching maturity, social motivation, and temperament, particularly when used with a mindfulness of infants' changing social motivations and expectations. The presence of an action--perception mechanism at birth can be better understood by considering the complex interactions among infants' social competences, sensory--motor skills, environmental influences, and individual differences in social interest and temperament.
Comprehensive Longitudinal Study Challenges the Existence of Neonatal Imitation in Humans
Current biology : CB, 2016
Human children copy others' actions with high fidelity, supporting early cultural learning and assisting in the development and maintenance of behavioral traditions [1]. Imitation has long been assumed to occur from birth [2-4], with influential theories (e.g., [5-7]) placing an innate imitation module at the foundation of social cognition (potentially underpinned by a mirror neuron system [8, 9]). Yet, the very phenomenon of neonatal imitation has remained controversial. Empirical support is mixed and interpretations are varied [10-16], potentially because previous investigations have relied heavily on cross-sectional designs with relatively small samples and with limited controls [17, 18]. Here, we report surprising results from the most comprehensive longitudinal study of neonatal imitation to date. We presented infants (n = 106) with nine social and two non-social models and scored their responses at 1, 3, 6, and 9 weeks of age. Longitudinal analyses indicated that the infan...
The Origin and Development of Imitation in the First Six Months of Life
1973
This experimental study has three aims: (1) to give a detailed description of imitative behavior as it develops duLi.ng the first six months of life; (2) to ompare imitative responses perceived through visual, kinesthetic and auditory modalities; and (3) to describe and explain the regulating mechanisms and processes present in the early development of imitation. To accomplish these aims, 1: first-born female infants were tested in their homes every two weeks between the ages of 1 and 6 months. A total of eight visual, three kinesthetic and three auditory tests were administered. Thirteen behavior categories were observed during both the control and reaction periods. The two hypotheses formulated to guide the research are supported by the data presented in the three main sets of results. These results show that: (1) imitation exists as early as 1 month of age but is limited to certain types of models; (2) these first imitative responses wane between 2 and 3 months of age; and (3) there is absence of imitative response during the first 2 months of life to some other types of models, (i.e. auditory) but once imitation to these models comes in, it increases wi'ch age. (SDH)
The social context of imitation in infancy
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2005
Infants increasingly generalize deferred imitation across environmental contexts between 6 and 18 months of age. In three experiments with 126 6-, 9-, 12-, 15-, and 18-month-olds, we examined the role of the social context in deferred imitation. One experimenter demonstrated target actions on a hand puppet, and a second experimenter tested imitation 24 h later. When the second experimenter was novel, infants did not exhibit deferred imitation at any age; when infants were preexposed to the second experimenter, all of them did. Imitating immediately after the demonstration also facilitated deferred imitation in a novel social context at all ages but 6 months. InfantsÕ pervasive failure to exhibit deferred imitation in a novel social context may reflect evolutionary selection pressures that favored conservative behavior in social animals.
Learning by Imitation in Infants and Young Children. Final Report
1976
Investigating learning by imite'ion in infants and young children, this study addresses itself to the following issues: whether there is systematic accommodation, whether this imitation folloos a universal sequence, how the development of an act over many trials relates to the development of indicators over many months, and what the phenomenon reveals about normal infant development in its social context. By meeting the gaze of the investigator, 34 infants elicited a rhythmic burst of 5 mouth movements, opening and closing. After main? trials a majority of the infants themselves produced a burst of 2 or more such movements. Although no universal sequence of acts emerged from the data, a general form of accommodation was observed: (1) an orienting to the investigator, (2) a series of imitation of single features of the model,-beginning with mouth movement, and (3) a string of 2 or more features of the model, before (4) integrating the features into bursts of mouth opening and closing.
Imitation in newborn infants: Exploring the range of gestures imitated and the underlying mechanisms
Developmental Psychology, 1989
This study evaluated the psychological mechanisms underlying imitation of facial actions in young infants. A novel aspect of the study was that it used a nonoral gesture that had not been tested before (head movement), as well as a tongue-protrusion gesture. Results showed imitation of both displays. Imitation was not limited to the intervals during which the experimenter's movements were displayed; Ss also imitated from memory after the display had stopped. The results established that newborn imitation is not constrained to a few privileged oral movements. The findings support Meltzoff and Moore's hypothesis that early imitation is mediated by an active cross-modal matching process. A common representational code may unite the perception and production of basic human acts.
Imitation: Social, Cognitive, and Theoretical Perspectives
Human beings are the most imitative creatures in the animal kingdom. Imitation has both cognitive and social aspects and is a powerful mechanism for learning about and from people. Imitation raises theoretical questions about perception-action coupling, memory, representation, social cognition, and social affinities toward others "like me." Childhood imitation is attracting attention both within and outside of developmental psychology. Modern studies of imitative development are bringing to bear the techniques of cognitive neuroscience, machine learning, education, and cognitive-developmental science. By using neuroscience tools and cognitive modeling, scientists are uncovering the mechanisms that underlie imitation. Evolutionary biologists are using imitation to investigate social learning in other species and to compare this to the abilities of human infants. Engineers are designing robots that can learn like babies-imitating the skilled actions of experts in an unsupervised manner. Educational psychologists are increasingly attending to how children learn through observation, role-modeling, and apprenticeship in informal settings and using this to revise pedagogical practices in formal educational settings. This chapter provides an analysis of the development of children's imitative ability, the mechanisms that underlie it, and the functions it serves in social, cognitive, and cultural learning from infancy to early childhood.
Neonatal Imitation: Theory, Experimental Design, and Significance for the Field of Social Cognition
Frontiers in psychology, 2017
Neonatal imitation has rich implications for neuroscience, developmental psychology, and social cognition, but there is little consensus about this phenomenon. The primary empirical question, whether or not neonatal imitation exists, is not settled. Is it possible to give a balanced evaluation of the theories and methodologies at stake so as to facilitate real progress with respect to the primary empirical question? In this paper, we address this question. We present the operational definition of differential imitation and discuss why it is important to keep it in mind. The operational definition indicates that neonatal imitation may not look like prototypical imitation and sets non-obvious requirements on what can count as evidence for imitation. We also examine the principal explanations for the extant findings and argue that two theories, the arousal hypothesis and the Association by Similarity Theory, which interprets neonatal imitation as differential induction of spontaneous b...
Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 2018
Skepticism toward the existence of neonatal differential imitation is fostered by views that assign it an excessive significance, making it foundational for social cognition. Moreover, a misleading theoretical framework may generate unwarranted expectations about the kinds of findings experimentalists are supposed to look for. Hence we propose a theoretical analysis that may help experimentalists address the empirical question of whether early differential imitation really exists. We distinguish three models of early imitation. The first posits automatic visuo-motor links evolved for sociocognitive functions and we call it Genetically Programmed Direct Matching (GPDM). The second is Meltzoff and Moore’s Active Intermodal Matching (AIM), which postulates a comparison between the acts of self and other. The third is the alternative we propose and we call it Association by Similarity Theory (AST), as it relies on the tacit functioning of this domain-general process. AST describes early imitation merely as the differential induction or elicitation of behaviors that already tend to occur spontaneously. We focus on the contrast between AIM and AST, and argue that AST is preferable to AIM for two reasons. First, AST is more parsimonious and more plausible, especially because it does not require infants to be able to recognize self-other similarities. Second, whereas the extant findings tend to disqualify AIM, AST can account for them adequately. Furthermore, we suggest that AST has the potential to give new impulse to empirical research because it discriminates promising lines of inquiry from unproductive ones.