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Lack of Automatic Imitation in Newly Sighted Individuals
Ayelet McKyton1,2, Itay Ben-Zion3,4, Ehud Zohary1,2
11 The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Psychological Science
|December 13, 2017
Summary
Automatic imitation, the tendency to copy observed actions, requires visual experience. Newly sighted children showed reduced automatic imitation, suggesting visual-motor experience is crucial for its development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Automatic imitation, the direct mapping between action perception and motor execution, is a key area of study.
- The debate continues on whether automatic imitation is an innate ability or develops through experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of visual experience in the development of automatic imitation.
- To examine automatic imitation in individuals with early-onset visual deprivation.
Main Methods:
- Studied a unique group of newly sighted children with a history of bilateral cataracts.
- Compared the automatic imitation responses of newly sighted children to control children 2 years post-surgery.
Main Results:
- Newly sighted children exhibited significantly less automatic imitation compared to control children.
- This difference persisted even two years after cataract removal surgery.
Conclusions:
- Visually guided motor experience is essential for the normal development of automatic imitation.
- Innate imitation mechanisms, if they exist, are highly sensitive to prolonged periods of visual deprivation.
Keywords:
cognitive neurosciencemirror neuron systemperceptual learningsocial behaviorvisionvisual developmentMore Related Videos
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