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Animal studies help clarify misunderstandings about neonatal imitation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2017

Elizabeth A. Simpson ,
Sarah E. Maylott ,
Mikael Heimann ,
Francys Subiaul ,
Annika Paukner ,
Stephen J. Suomi  and
Pier F. Ferrari
Elizabeth A. Simpson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146. simpsone@miami.edu smaylott@miami.edu http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/esimpson http://www.psy.miami.edu/scl/people.phtml
Sarah E. Maylott
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146. simpsone@miami.edu smaylott@miami.edu http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/esimpson http://www.psy.miami.edu/scl/people.phtml
Mikael Heimann
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden. mikael.heimann@liu.se http://www.ibl.liu.se/medarbetare/heimann-mikael?l=en&sc=true
Francys Subiaul
Affiliation:
Department of Speech and Hearing Science, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052. subiaul@gwu.edu http://www.subiaul.com
Annika Paukner
Affiliation:
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Dickerson, MD 20842. pauknera@mail.nih.gov suomis@lce.nichd.nih.gov https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/staff/Pages/bio.aspx?nih_id=0012459403 https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/staff/Pages/bio.aspx?nih_id=0010152932
Stephen J. Suomi
Affiliation:
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Dickerson, MD 20842. pauknera@mail.nih.gov suomis@lce.nichd.nih.gov https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/staff/Pages/bio.aspx?nih_id=0012459403 https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/staff/Pages/bio.aspx?nih_id=0010152932
Pier F. Ferrari
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Parma, 43123 Parma, Italy. pierfrancesco.ferrari@isc.cnrs.fr https://web-ast.dsi.cnrs.fr/l3c/owa/personnel.frame_infos?p_etat=pe&p_numero_sel=1347787&p_i=0&p_nb_res=0&p_numero=0 Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS / Université Claude Bernard Lyon, 69675 Bron Cedex, Lyon, France.
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Abstract

Empirical studies are incompatible with the proposal that neonatal imitation is arousal driven or declining with age. Nonhuman primate studies reveal a functioning brain mirror system from birth, developmental continuity in imitation and later sociability, and the malleability of neonatal imitation, shaped by the early environment. A narrow focus on arousal effects and reflexes may grossly underestimate neonatal capacities.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e400
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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References

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