meltzoff and moore (1977)

key claims

• infants imitation abilities underestimated

• newborns can imitate facial and manual gestures as early as 12 days

methodological rigour

• controlled for:

  • global arousal (vs true imitation)

  • parent influence (parents informed post-experiment)

  • experimenter bias (blind scoring)

Experiment 1

• participants: 6 infants (12-17 days old)

• procedure:

  1. passive face (90 secs)

  2. 4 random gestures (15 sec each): lip protrusion, mouth opening, tounge protrusion, finger movement

  3. response phase (20 secs)

results

• infants imitated the shown gesture more than others

Experiment 2

• participants: 12 infants (16-21 days old)

• procedure:

  • dummy used to control sucking behaviour

  • compared baseline behaviour with responses after gestures (tounge protrusion, mouth opening)

• results:

  • infants significantly imitated shown gestures

how does imitation work?

disproven theory - Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM)

• imitation as a reflex-like response to specific stimuli

• disproved:

  • infants imitate a range of gestures

  • responses are not fixed or time-locked

active intermodal mapping (AIM)

• imitation is intentional and goal-directed

• infants use proprioceptive feeback to compare own movement to what they see others doing

Easy learning from social interaction

• imitation serves social bonding purposes

• mimicry increases liking and prosocial behaviour

developmental findings and legacy

developmental changes (Meltzoff and moore, 1999)

• newborns: focus on action (can i do that?)

• 6 weeks: focus on person (are you the one who does ….)

• 14 months: recognise imitation as a game, test if adult mimics them

• 18 months: understand and imitate intentions, not just actions

Meltzoff (1995)

• infants imitated goal of adult actions (eg trying to open a box), not the exact behaviour

follow-up studies

Gergely et al (2012)

• 14 month old saw adult turn on a light box with her head

• hands occupied → infant used hands

• hands free → infant used head

showed rational imitation

Buttleman et al (2007)

• enculturated chimps repeated the same behaviour

• demonstrated rational imitation based on adults context

scientific impact

contributions:

• reframed understanding of infant cognition and imitation

• applications in:

  • cognitive science (eg memory, learning)

  • education and parenting (importance of modelling)

  • brain science (mirror neurons)

mirror neurons

• fire when performing or observing an action

• found in humans and monkeys

• may underpin theory of mind (ToM), empathy and social behaviours

debates and controversies

mixed findings:

• Piaget: no real imitation until ~8 months

• Meltzoff and moore: true imitation from 12 days

• Meltzoff and moore (1994): delayed imitation in 6-week-olds after 24 hours

• Oostenbroek (2010): failed replication: imitation may be by-product of arousal

summary points

• traditional view underestimated infants capabilities

• Meltzoff and moore (1977) demonstrated neonatal imitation using rigorous methodology

• infants may imitate intentionally and match behaviour across sensory systems

• imitation is not fixed - it changes with development, enabling goal-directed and rational responses

• the field remains debated, but their work had a lasting impact on developmental psychology and neuroscience