imitation
Sign in to savealt=|thumb|300x300px|A toddler imitates his father. Imitation (from Latin imitatio, "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of learning that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our culture. It allows for the transfer of information (behaviors, customs, etc.) between individuals and down generations without the need for genetic inheritance." The word imitation can be applied in many contexts, ranging from animal training to politics. The term generally refers to conscious behavior; subco
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Anthropology and social sciences
- [[Neuroscience]]
- Mirror neuron system
- Animal behavior
- Imitation in animals
- Theories
- New developments
- Child development
- Infants
- Toddlers
- Gender and age differences
- Negative imitation
- Autism
- Automatic imitation
- Over-imitation
- Deferred imitation
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
alt=|thumb|300x300px|A toddler imitates his father. Imitation (from Latin imitatio, "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of learning that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our culture. It allows for the transfer of information (behaviors, customs, etc.) between individuals and down generations without the need for genetic inheritance." The word imitation can be applied in many contexts, ranging from animal training to politics. The term generally refers to conscious behavior; subconscious imitation is termed mirroring.
==Anthropology and social sciences== In anthropology, some theories hold that all cultures imitate ideas from one of a few original cultures or several cultures whose influence overlaps geographically. Evolutionary diffusion theory holds that cultures influence one another, but that similar ideas can be developed in isolation.