Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2025

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device ALDM Test Systems
Published on: May 5, 2015
Automatic imitation of intransitive actions in macaws
Esha Haldar1,2,3, Padmini Subramanya3,4, Auguste M P von Bayern1,3
1Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen 82319, Germany.
Abstract:
Automatic imitation is the involuntary tendency of humans to copy others' actions even when counterproductive. We examined the automatic imitation of intransitive actions in blue-throated macaws (Ara glaucogularis), employing a stimulus-response-compatibility task. After training seven macaws to perform two different actions with legs and wings upon specific hand commands, the subjects were divided into a compatible and incompatible group. We rewarded the subjects for performing the same action as the conspecific model in the compatible group and the opposite action in the incompatible group. Involuntarily imitating the demonstrated actions, the incompatible group made more errors than the compatible group and took longer to eventually respond correctly. The study provides evidence for the automatic imitation of intransitive actions in non-human animals- parrots, suggesting that arbitrary action imitation facilitated by a mirror-neuron system in parrot brain may be adaptive in the ever-changing complex social environment of parrots and possibly drive cultural evolution.
Related Concept Videos
Nonconscious Mimicry
Fixed Action Patterns
Observational Learning
Imprinting
Instinctive Drift
Steps in the Modeling Process
Attention is the first necessary component for observational learning. It involves focusing on what the model is doing and saying. For example, if you decide to take a drawing class to enhance your skills, you need to pay close attention to the instructor's words and hand movements. The characteristics of the model significantly...

