The Development of Rational Imitation in 9- and 12-Month-Old Infants

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
Norbert ZmyjGisa Aschersleben

Abstract

Studies on rational imitation have provided evidence for the fact that infants as young as 12 months of age engage in rational imitation. However, the developmental onset of this ability is unclear. In this study, we investigated whether 9- and 12-month-olds detect voluntary and implicit as well as nonvoluntary and explicit constraints in the head touch task. Three groups of infants watched video sequences, which displayed a person illuminating a lamp using the head. The hands of the model were either free, occupied by voluntarily holding a blanket, or nonvoluntarily restrained by being tied to the table. An additional control group of infants watched the model turning on the lamp by using the hand. Given that the majority of infants imitated the head touch when the model's hands were free, there was evidence for rational imitation in comparison to the condition in which the model's hands were tied to the table, but not in comparison to the condition in which the hands were occupied by holding a blanket. Nine-month-olds showed no differences in their behavior according to the condition. These findings clarify the onset of rational imitation by showing that 12-month-olds (but not 9-month-olds) take into account a situational con...Continue Reading

References

Nov 5, 1999·Child Development·R Barr, H Hayne
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Mar 17, 2005·Developmental Psychology·Tanya BehneMichael Tomasello
May 12, 2006·Child Development·Georgene L TrosethAllison H Archer
Dec 2, 2006·Infant Behavior & Development·Annette M KleinGisa Aschersleben
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Nov 2, 2007·Developmental Science·Rachel BarrAmaya Garcia
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Citations

Apr 9, 2014·Experimental Brain Research·Áine Ní Choisdealbha, Vincent Reid
Dec 29, 2015·The British Journal of Developmental Psychology·Anja GampeMoritz M Daum
Nov 16, 2017·Autism : the International Journal of Research and Practice·Lacey ChetcutiGiacomo Vivanti
Feb 15, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Miriam LangelohStefanie Hoehl
Mar 9, 2013·Psychological Science·Rose M Scott, Renée Baillargeon
Apr 30, 2014·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Sabine Hunnius, Harold Bekkering
Mar 15, 2016·Frontiers in Psychology·Jacqueline FagardJ K O'Regan
Jul 1, 2010·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·Yuyan Luo
Jan 1, 2013·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·Ivy Brooker, Diane Poulin-Dubois
Jun 18, 2011·Child Development·Markus PaulusHarold Bekkering
Apr 30, 2010·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·Norbert ZmyjMoritz M Daum
Jun 20, 2020·Infant Behavior & Development·David Buttelmann, Norbert Zmyj

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