Imitation is the process of replicating new behaviors through observation and learning, and its meaning can be better understood through behavioral differences between humans and higher intelligent animals. In experiments with chimpanzees and children, children imitated every action of the demonstrator, but chimpanzees were more efficient at imitating behaviors. This difference is due to humans’ sophisticated mirror neuron system, which plays an important role in the transmission of social skills and culture.
Imitation means replicating the behavior itself by observing a new or non-inborn behavior, and it essentially involves observation and learning. Imitation plays an important role in human development, and it is through imitation that humans acquire social skills, language, culture, and more. This concept of imitation can be made clearer by looking at the differences in behavior between humans and higher intelligent animals.
In one experiment, 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 watch 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. However, the children copied the demonstrator’s behavior whether the box was opaque or transparent. This shows that children value the process of behavior as well as the goal of the behavior.
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 that does not involve observation,” and the highest activation in “imitation.
And activation of the mirror neuron occurs in all primates when the goal of the other person’s behavior is clear. On the other hand, in situations where the goal is difficult to observe, the mirror neurons of primates other than humans are rarely activated, which can be explained by the fact that they do not observe the goal of the action involving the top box, and therefore do not imitate the action. In humans, mirror neurons can be sophisticated enough to activate in response to both the goal of the behavior and the intention, as well as the way the behavior is executed.
Human mirror neurons 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 developed a mechanism for imitation that allows us to accurately mimic even seemingly inefficient behaviors through an as-is imitation mechanism. This trait plays an important role in how humans learn complex social interactions, transmit culture, and develop creative problem-solving skills.
This difference between humans and higher intelligent animals points to the true meaning of imitation. More than just replicating behavior, imitation is an important mechanism that enables social learning and cultural transmission. It allows humans to accumulate and develop knowledge and skills over generations.
