to ‘over-imitate’ actions of adults
Children learn by imitating adults — so much so that they will rethink
how an object works if they observe an adult taking unnecessary steps when
using that object, according to a Yale study published on Dec. 3 in Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences. — By Jacqueline Weaver
T H I S
“Even when you add time pressure, or warn the children not to do the unnecessary
actions, they seem unable to avoid reproducing the adult’s irrelevant actions,” says
Derek Lyons, a doctoral candidate in developmental psychology, and first author
of the study. “They have already incorporated the actions into their idea
of how the object works.”
Learning by imitation occurs from the simplest preverbal communication to the
most complex adult expertise. It is the basis for much of our success as a
species, says Lyons, but the benefits are less clear in instances of “over-imitation,” where
children copy behavior that is not needed.
It has been theorized that children over-imitate just to fit in or out of habit.
The Yale team found in this study that children follow adults’ actions
faithfully, to the point where they actually change their mind about how an
object functions.
The study included three- to five-year-old children who engaged in a series
of exercises. In one exercise, the children could see a dinosaur toy through
a clear plastic box. The researcher used a sequence of irrelevant and relevant
actions to retrieve the toy, such as tapping the lid of the jar with a feather
before unscrewing the lid.
The children then were asked which actions were silly and which were not. They
were praised when they pinpointed the actions that had no value in retrieving
the toy. The idea was to teach the children that the adult was unreliable and
that they should ignore his unnecessary actions.
Later the children watched adults retrieve a toy turtle from a box using needless
steps. When asked to do the task themselves, the children over-imitated, despite
their prior training to ignore irrelevant actions by the adults.
“What of all of this means,” Lyons said, “is that children’s
ability to imitate can actually lead to confusion when they see an adult doing
something in a disorganized or inefficient way. Watching an adult doing something
wrong can make it much harder for kids to do it right.”
More information is available at the project website: www.hellofelix.com.
Co-authors include Andrew Young of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and
Frank Keil of Yale, who was the senior author.
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
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Rededication ceremony held for Silliman College
Reconstruction of Bass Library celebrated
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Project will assess impact of vaccine against virus . . .
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Work in Ob/Gyn is recognized with grants, honors
Two Divinity School professors earn special honors
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Research reveals that children tend to ‘over-imitate’ actions of adults
Yale bioengineers have developed a more effective method . . .
Postdoctoral fellow wins fellowships for cancer cell research
Exhibit of original menorahs celebrates the Festival of Light
Alumna intern discovers firsthand the positive impact of United Way
A ‘thank you’ from United Way
Social anthropologist will examine ‘Why Creationism Isn’t Science’
IN MEMORIAM
Dr. Barry Goldberg, devoted career to the safety of athletes
Dr. James Kenney, was the ‘doctor’s doctor’ to many
Dr. Nicholas Spinelli, was active in alumni affairs
Longtime professor Stanton Wheeler dies on Dec. 7
Memorial service for Eugene Waith
Stately affairs
Campus Notes
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