Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation

The ability to copy the actions of others is present from birth in both infant humans and chimpanzees and provides a method for the social transmission of knowledge. For this type of learning to have an impact over the long-term, the infant must be able to encode, store, and retrieve the information...

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Main Authors: Emily JH Jones, Jane S Herbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Société Francophone de Primatologie 2009-11-01
Series:Revue de Primatologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/primatologie/236
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author Emily JH Jones
Jane S Herbert
author_facet Emily JH Jones
Jane S Herbert
author_sort Emily JH Jones
collection DOAJ
description The ability to copy the actions of others is present from birth in both infant humans and chimpanzees and provides a method for the social transmission of knowledge. For this type of learning to have an impact over the long-term, the infant must be able to encode, store, and retrieve the information they receive for use at a later date. Here we review the literature with the deferred imitation paradigm to demonstrate that by at least 6 months of age, human infants are capable of these comparatively advanced cognitive abilities, which are thought to involve the declarative memory system and the hippocampal formation. Across early development there are dramatic changes in the duration over which information can be retained and the ability of infants to retrieve and express their memories in a flexible manner, which enables them to solve new problems. Research with the deferred imitation paradigm therefore provides important insight into our understanding of social and cognitive development as well as brain development.
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spelling doaj-art-7d4ff90e9f424da4831928011ac35d942025-01-30T10:01:41ZengSociété Francophone de PrimatologieRevue de Primatologie2077-37572009-11-01110.4000/primatologie.236Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisationEmily JH JonesJane S HerbertThe ability to copy the actions of others is present from birth in both infant humans and chimpanzees and provides a method for the social transmission of knowledge. For this type of learning to have an impact over the long-term, the infant must be able to encode, store, and retrieve the information they receive for use at a later date. Here we review the literature with the deferred imitation paradigm to demonstrate that by at least 6 months of age, human infants are capable of these comparatively advanced cognitive abilities, which are thought to involve the declarative memory system and the hippocampal formation. Across early development there are dramatic changes in the duration over which information can be retained and the ability of infants to retrieve and express their memories in a flexible manner, which enables them to solve new problems. Research with the deferred imitation paradigm therefore provides important insight into our understanding of social and cognitive development as well as brain development.https://journals.openedition.org/primatologie/236imitationinfantslearningmemorysocial development
spellingShingle Emily JH Jones
Jane S Herbert
Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation
Revue de Primatologie
imitation
infants
learning
memory
social development
title Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation
title_full Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation
title_fullStr Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation
title_full_unstemmed Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation
title_short Imitation and the development of infant learning, memory, and categorisation
title_sort imitation and the development of infant learning memory and categorisation
topic imitation
infants
learning
memory
social development
url https://journals.openedition.org/primatologie/236
work_keys_str_mv AT emilyjhjones imitationandthedevelopmentofinfantlearningmemoryandcategorisation
AT janesherbert imitationandthedevelopmentofinfantlearningmemoryandcategorisation