Notes on individual differences and the assumed elusiveness of neonatal imitation

Abstract

This chapter summarizes research on early imitation carried out in Sweden over the last fifteen years. Research showing that imitation observed in the newborn period can be demonstrated, but also that the processes behind imitation in the neonate are both complex and fragile. One example of such processes is the large variability in imitative responses observed by many investigators studying imitation in the newborn period. This variability has been specifically studied in the Swedish cohorts, and it seems as if real individual differences are at play from the very beginning. Where to start The basic procedure used by almost all studies to date has been to compare the frequency of a target behavior after modeling (e.g., tongue protrusion) with the observed frequency of that behavior in a control situation (e.g., after modeling of mouth opening). Thus, neonatal imitation can be described as a behavioral phenomenon based on statistical comparisons between target and nontarget frequencies. Viewed in this way, there is no doubt that neonatal imitation is a real phenomenon. It does exist and it can be demonstrated as has been shown by numerous research groups (for list of studies see Heimann, 1991, 1998a; Kugiumutzakis, 1999; Meltzoff & Moore, 1994, 1998a), exemplified here by the results from three Swedish studies: Our first study (Heimann & Schaller, 1985) revealed support for imitation of both tongue protrusion and mouth opening among eleven participating children (mean age: seventeen days). […]