The functions of imitative behaviour in humans

Summary & key facts

This article reviews where human imitation comes from and what it is for. The authors define imitation as when watching someone causes matching body movements. They argue that many studies suggest imitation is built by general sensorimotor learning after birth, not by a special innate imitation system. They review evidence, note key experiments that change the adult mirror system with training, and say this view changes how we should think about the possible functions of imitation.

Key facts:

• The authors use a simple behavioural definition of imitation: an action is imitation when observing a model causes parts of the observer's body to move in the same way relative to one another as the model's body.
• A large longitudinal study (Oostenbroek et al., 2016) found no convincing evidence that newborn babies reliably imitate facial gestures, hand movements, or vocalisations, which challenges strong nativist claims about innate imitation.
• Experiments in adults show the mirror/motor system can be altered by learning. For example, Catmur, Walsh and Heyes (2007) used counter-mirror sensorimotor training and found that motor responses to observed actions changed after training.
• The authors conclude that the weight of evidence supports the view that imitation largely arises from domain-general sensorimotor learning mechanisms rather than being genetically specified as a dedicated imitation system.
• Because imitation appears to depend on postnatal learning, the authors say the kinds of imitation people can do will depend heavily on the information and experiences available in their learning environment.

Abstract

This article focuses on the question of the function of imitation and whether current accounts of imitative function are consistent with our knowledge about imitation's origins. We first review theories of imitative origin concluding that empirical evidence suggests that imitation arises from domain-general learning mechanisms. Next, we lay out a selective account of function that allows normative functions to be ascribed to learned behaviours. We then describe and review four accounts of the function of imitation before evaluating the relationship between the claim that imitation arises out of domain-general learning mechanisms and theories of the function of imitation.

Topics

Action Observation and Synchronization Child and Animal Learning Development Embodied and Extended Cognition

Categories

Psychology Social Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Biology Cognitive imitation Cognitive psychology Cognitive science Epistemology Evolutionary biology Function (biology) Imitation Normative Philosophy Psychology Social psychology