Imitation involves the process of observing, learning, and replicating new behaviors, and can be better understood by looking at behavioral differences between humans and higher intelligent animals. Experiments with young chimpanzees and children show that humans imitate and learn in more complex ways, and this is related to the activation of mirror neurons. Human imitation goes beyond simple behavioral replication and plays an important role in the transmission and development of civilizations and cultures.
Imitation means replicating the behavior itself by observing a new or non-inborn behavior, which essentially involves observation and learning. This concept of imitation can be made clearer by looking at the differences in behavior between humans and higher intelligent animals.
There is an experiment in which young chimpanzees and children were asked to observe and imitate the behavior of a demonstrator. Two plastic food boxes of identical construction are used, the only difference between the two is whether the inside is transparent or not. The top and bottom of each box are separated by a partition. The lower compartment of each box has a door for food and access to the food, while the upper compartment is just a hole. The young chimpanzees and children observe a demonstrator who taps the top of the box with a stick and then puts the stick through the hole once. They then observe the demonstrator open the door to the lower compartment and use the stick to remove the food. The young chimpanzees follow the demonstration well for the opaque box, but not for the transparent box. As if they knew that they only needed the bottom compartment to get to the food, they eliminated the unnecessary behavior and obtained the food. The children, on the other hand, copied the demonstrator’s behavior whether the box was opaque or transparent.
This difference between young chimpanzees and children can be explained in neuroscience terms by mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are a type of nerve cell that shows the same activation when observing the behavior of another actor as when performing the behavior yourself. Experiments have shown that mirror neurons show different degrees of activation during ‘observation of an action’, ‘execution of an action that does not involve observation’, and ‘imitation’. Mirror neurons show more activation in “observation of an action” than in “execution of an action without observation,” with the highest activation in “imitation.” And when the other person’s behavioral goal is clear, mirror neuron activation occurs in all primates. On the other hand, in situations where the goal is difficult to observe, the mirror neurons of primates, except humans, are rarely activated, which can be explained by the fact that they do not observe the goal of the behavior involving the top box and therefore do not imitate it. In humans, mirror neurons can be elaborately activated in both the way the behavior is executed and the intention, in addition to the behavioral goal.
Another example of imitative behavior is the process by which young children learn language. They develop their language skills by listening to their parents or other people around them and repeating what they hear. In doing so, they imitate pronunciation, intonation, grammatical structures, and more. It’s not just about repeating words, it’s about understanding and using language in context and meaning. This process goes beyond simple behavioral imitation and involves complex cognitive and social learning.
Mirror neurons in humans work with other parts of the brain to increase the level of imitation. The involvement of mirror neurons in the human imitation process suggests that humans have evolved a copycat mechanism that allows us to accurately imitate even seemingly inefficient behaviors. This difference between humans and higher intelligent animals suggests the true meaning of imitation.
While higher intelligent animals have some ability to imitate, humans differ in that they use imitation to pass on and develop culture and knowledge. For example, imitation plays an important role in tool use, social norms, artistic expression, and many other areas. Through imitation, humans go beyond individual learning to social learning, which is an important contribution to the development of human civilization.
In conclusion, imitation is more than just replicating behavior. It is through learning and observation that humans are able to acquire and transfer complex behaviors and knowledge. It represents an important behavioral difference between humans and higher intelligent animals, and it plays a key role in the development of human civilization. By understanding the process and consequences of imitation, we can gain a deeper understanding of the nature of human behavior and the importance of social learning.
