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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
06:35
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
35.9K
Does mothers' postnatal depression influence the development of imitation?
Oliver Perra1, Rebecca Phillips2, Rhiannon Fyfield3
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Summary
Mothers with postnatal depression (PND) showed significantly reduced infant imitation, a key early learning skill. This highlights PND
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Cognition
- Perinatal Mental Health
Background:
- Inconsistent evidence links maternal postnatal depression (PND) to child cognitive development.
- PND may specifically impair infant imitation, a crucial early learning ability.
- Imitation is associated with memory, causal understanding, and joint attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific impact of PND on infant imitation.
- To examine if PND affects early mother-infant interaction and infant learning.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 253 firstborn British infants and their mothers.
- Maternal depression assessed via SCAN interview during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum.
- Infants (mean age 12.8 months) completed two imitation tasks of varying difficulty.
Main Results:
- Infants of mothers with PND were 72% less likely to imitate modelled actions.
- This association remained after accounting for sociodemographic adversity and prior depression.
- Maternal references to infant internal states facilitated imitation but did not explain the PND link.
Conclusions:
- Findings support PND's negative impact on infant early learning abilities.
- Maternal illness may partly explain links between PND and later cognitive outcomes.
- Child-focused interventions supporting infant learning are recommended for PND.
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