Thoughts on Imitation as a Perception–Action Coupling: An Essay in Honor of Herbert L. Pick, Jr.

Abstract

Perception–action couplings such as were the focus of research by Herbert L. Pick, Jr. are compared and contrasted with the perception–action pairings involved in successful imitation. In both cases, the links between perceptions and corresponding actions may be formed very early in life, and they seem to form implicitly, through cyclic or repeated instances of experiencing a perception while executing the corresponding action. Once formed, though, perception–action couplings are “tighter” or more restricted than imitative perception–action pairings. Research by Herb and his colleagues shows that perceptual-motor couplings do not transfer across domains, and they are also impenetrable to cognition. In contrast, studies conducted by the author and others indicate that imitative pairings readily transfer to new contexts, and they may be suppressed or altered by other knowledge and information. These differences are probably related to the different primary functions of perceptual-motor couplings and imitation—to facilitate smooth and continuous ongoing behavior on the one hand and to promote learning new skills and social bonding on the other.