The role of sensorimotor experience in the development of mimicry in infancy
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The role of sensorimotor experience in the development of mimicry in infancy. / de Klerk, Carina C.J.M.; Lamy-Yang, Iona; Southgate, Victoria Helen.
In: Developmental Science, Vol. 22, No. 3, e12771, 01.05.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of sensorimotor experience in the development of mimicry in infancy
AU - de Klerk, Carina C.J.M.
AU - Lamy-Yang, Iona
AU - Southgate, Victoria Helen
PY - 2019/5/1
Y1 - 2019/5/1
N2 - During social interactions we often have an automatic and unconscious tendency to copy or ‘mimic’ others’ actions. The dominant view on the neural basis of mimicry appeals to an automatic coupling between perception and action. It has been suggested that this coupling is formed through associative learning during correlated sensorimotor experience. Although studies with adult participants have provided support for this hypothesis, little is known about the role of sensorimotor experience in supporting the development of perceptual-motor couplings, and consequently mimicry behaviour, in infancy. Here we investigated whether the extent to which an observed action elicits mimicry depends on the opportunity an infant has had to develop perceptual-motor couplings for this action through correlated sensorimotor experience. We found that mothers’ tendency to imitate their 4-month-olds’ facial expressions during a parent-child interaction session was related to infants’ facial mimicry as measured by electromyography. Maternal facial imitation was not related to infants’ mimicry of hand actions, and instead we found preliminary evidence that infants’ tendency to look at their own hands may be related to their tendency to mimic hand actions. These results are consistent with the idea that mimicry is supported by perceptual-motor couplings that are formed through correlated sensorimotor experience obtained by observing one's own actions and imitative social partners.
AB - During social interactions we often have an automatic and unconscious tendency to copy or ‘mimic’ others’ actions. The dominant view on the neural basis of mimicry appeals to an automatic coupling between perception and action. It has been suggested that this coupling is formed through associative learning during correlated sensorimotor experience. Although studies with adult participants have provided support for this hypothesis, little is known about the role of sensorimotor experience in supporting the development of perceptual-motor couplings, and consequently mimicry behaviour, in infancy. Here we investigated whether the extent to which an observed action elicits mimicry depends on the opportunity an infant has had to develop perceptual-motor couplings for this action through correlated sensorimotor experience. We found that mothers’ tendency to imitate their 4-month-olds’ facial expressions during a parent-child interaction session was related to infants’ facial mimicry as measured by electromyography. Maternal facial imitation was not related to infants’ mimicry of hand actions, and instead we found preliminary evidence that infants’ tendency to look at their own hands may be related to their tendency to mimic hand actions. These results are consistent with the idea that mimicry is supported by perceptual-motor couplings that are formed through correlated sensorimotor experience obtained by observing one's own actions and imitative social partners.
KW - associative learning
KW - EMG
KW - infancy
KW - mimicry
KW - parent-child interaction
U2 - 10.1111/desc.12771
DO - 10.1111/desc.12771
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 30415485
AN - SCOPUS:85057714008
VL - 22
JO - Developmental Science
JF - Developmental Science
SN - 1363-755X
IS - 3
M1 - e12771
ER -
ID: 226828350