The tendency to automatically imitate others' behavior is well documented. Successful interactions with others require some control of automatic imitation, but the nature of these control mechanisms remains unclear. The present study investigated whether the regulation of automatic imitation involves domain-specific versus domain-general control processes. Automatic imitation was assessed using the imitation-inhibition task, in which participants responded to an imperative stimulus with finger movements while seeing imitatively congruent versus incongruent, task-irrelevant movements. In Experiment 1, the imitatively congruent/incongruent trials ratio was manipulated, and increasing the amount of incongruent trials reduced the imitative congruency effect-as typically observed in "nonsocial" conflict tasks. In Experiment 2a, the imitation-inhibition task was intermixed with the Simon (spatial congruency) task. The ratio of spatially congruent/incongruent trials in the Simon task was varied while keeping the ratio of imitatively congruent/incongruent trials constant. Results indicate that increasing the amount of Simon conflict reduced both Simon and imitative congruency effects. Thus, control adaptations related to Simon congruency transferred to automatic imitation. In Experiments 2b and 3, the manipulation of the proportion of incongruent trials in the imitation-inhibition task did not exert an influence on the Simon effect. We discuss the domain-specific versus domain-general nature of the mechanisms regulating imitation in the light of these conflicting findings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001282 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Segment, Compare, and Learn: Creating Movement Libraries of Complex Task for Learning from Demonstration.
Biomimetics (Basel)
January 2025
RoboticsLab, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Madrid, Spain.
Motion primitives are a highly useful and widely employed tool in the field of Learning from Demonstration (LfD). However, obtaining a large number of motion primitives can be a tedious process, as they typically need to be generated individually for each task to be learned. To address this challenge, this work presents an algorithm for acquiring robotic skills through automatic and unsupervised segmentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe impact of model eyesight and social reward on automatic imitation in virtual reality.
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform
January 2025
Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University.
Motivational theories of imitation state that we imitate because this led to positive social consequences in the past. Because movement imitation typically only leads to these consequences when perceived by the imitated person, it should increase when the interaction partner sees the imitator. Current evidence for this hypothesis is mixed, potentially due to the low ecological validity in previous studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRegulation of automatic imitation: Domain-specific versus domain-general control processes.
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform
January 2025
Department of Psychology, Rutgers University.
The tendency to automatically imitate others' behavior is well documented. Successful interactions with others require some control of automatic imitation, but the nature of these control mechanisms remains unclear. The present study investigated whether the regulation of automatic imitation involves domain-specific versus domain-general control processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutomatic imitation of intransitive actions in macaws.
iScience
December 2024
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.
Automatic imitation is the involuntary tendency of humans to copy others' actions even when counterproductive. We examined the automatic imitation of actions in blue-throated macaws (), employing a stimulus-response-compatibility task. After training seven macaws to perform two different actions with legs and wings upon specific hand commands, the subjects were divided into a compatible and incompatible group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFirst predict, then bond: Rethinking the function of mimicry from prediction to affiliation in human and non-human animals.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev
January 2025
Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden 2333 AK, Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden 2333 AK, Netherlands. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- Automatic mimicry is when social animals replicate the emotional expressions of others, a well-known behavior in psychology.
- While past research focused on the social advantages of being mimicked, this study investigates the underlying reasons for why mimicry occurs in the first place, proposing it serves an adaptive role beyond social bonding.
- The authors suggest that mimicry aids in predicting behaviors of others and understanding one's environment, thereby enhancing individual survival and paving the way for new research in related fields.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!