Imitation Effect Research Articles

Validation of an online imitation-inhibition task

People automatically imitate a wide range of different behaviors. One of the most commonly used measurement methods to assess imitative behavior is the imitation-inhibition task (Brass et al., 2000). A disadvantage of its original form is, however, that it was validated for laboratory settings—a time-consuming and costly procedure. Here, we present an approach for conducting the imitation-inhibition task in online settings. We programmed the online version of the imitation-inhibition task in JavaScript and implemented the task in online survey software (i.e., Qualtrics). We validated the task in four experiments. Experiment 1 (N = 88) showed that the typical automatic imitation effects can be detected with good psychometric properties. Going one step further, Experiment 2 (N = 182) directly compared the online version of the imitation-inhibition task with its laboratory version and demonstrated that the online version produces similar strong and reliable effects. In Experiments 3 and 4, we assessed typical moderator effects that were previously reported in laboratory settings: Experiment 3 (N = 93) demonstrated that automatic imitation can be reliably detected in online settings even when controlling for spatial compatibility. Experiment 4 (N = 104) found, in line with previous research, that individuals imitate hand movements executed by a robot less strongly than movements executed by a human. Taken together, the results show that the online version of the imitation-inhibition task offers an easy-to-use method that enables the measurement of automatic imitation with common online survey software tools in a reliable and valid fashion.

Phonetic variants of Majorcan Catalan /ʒ/: A controlled study in societal language contact

Some Majorcan Catalan speakers produce /ʒ/ as [j] rather than [ʒ]. We hypothesize that variation in the production of /ʒ/ is modulated by whether speakers are dominant speakers of Catalan or not. Majorcan Catalan exists in a contact situation with Spanish, and Catalan-Spanish bilinguals vary, on a spectrum, in terms of their language dominance. We recruited 18 bilinguals and divided them into two groups: Catalan- or Spanish-dominant. The participants repeated out loud auditory stimuli in which /ʒ/ had been produced by model talkers as either [j] or [ʒ]. The results revealed systematic differences between Catalan- and Spanish-dominant bilinguals in terms of two correlates that capture the distinction between [j] and [ʒ]: spectral center of gravity and skewness. While the effects of the subjects’ profile were of a very large magnitude, the effects of imitation—having heard [j] or [ʒ] as the auditory model for /ʒ/—were negligible. This suggests that, in Majorcan Catalan, individual phonological (internalized) representations of /ʒ/, and not only production habits, are modulated by the speaker’s background—some speakers have /j/ and others have /ʒ/.

Exploring cooking fuel choices among Ghanaian women of reproductive age: A socio-economic analysis from a statistical mechanics perspective.

Access to clean and efficient cooking fuel is crucial for promoting good health, safeguarding the environment, and driving economic growth. Despite efforts to promote the adoption of cleaner alternatives, traditional solid fuels such as charcoal and firewood remain prevalent in Ghana. In this study, we utilized a statistical mechanical model as a framework to explore the statistical relationship between socio-economic factors such as educational attainment, wealth status, place of residence, and cooking fuel choices. We analysed data from the Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS) conducted in 2019, involving a total of 2,942 women of reproductive age. The findings revealed that 13.77% of participants preferred using LPG fuels for cooking, while 86.23% preferred non-LPG fuels for their cooking needs. The data indicated that among LPG users, 96.54% are educated women of reproductive age, and 3.46% are non-educated women of reproductive age. Among these, 95.31% are non-poor, and 4.69% are poor. Additionally, 21.73% reside in rural areas, while 78.27% live in urban areas. The data also showed that among non-LPG fuel users, 68.70% are educated women of reproductive age, and 31.30% are non-educated women of reproductive age. Among this group, 16.04% are non-poor, and 83.96% are poor. Furthermore, 67.24% reside in rural areas, and 32.76% live in urban areas. Our findings showed that in the absence of social interaction, a woman's wealth status has a relationship to her choice of fuel for cooking. Additionally, women of reproductive age in rural areas with some education demonstrated a significant private incentive (40.12%) to use LPG, implying a positive correlation between education and the use of LPG for cooking. However, when social interactions are considered, factors such as education, wealth status, and place of residence have significant relationships with a woman's decision about fuel choice. The interaction strength among women of reproductive age in urban areas with some education shows a negative estimate (-4.06%), suggesting that there is no significant imitative effect. The study further suggests that urban women of reproductive age who are poor exert a greater influence on their urban counterparts who are not poor when social interaction is incorporated. Women of reproductive age in rural areas with some form of education exert a greater influence on women of reproductive age in rural areas with no form of education. We recommend that the government of Ghana and its stakeholders focus on leveraging the influence of urban poor women and educated rural women through community-led programs and educational campaigns. Financial support mechanisms like microfinance and subsidies, alongside reliable LPG infrastructure, can make access easier for these target groups. Tailored communication strategies, peer-to-peer learning, and collaboration with local institutions are crucial for spreading awareness and encouraging the adoption of LPG.

Suicide in the Austrian Littoral at the turn of the 20th century

The paper seeks to examine the social image of suicide at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, especially in the case of Trieste as a major Austrian urban centre, where the suicide rates were more visibly increasing at least from the 1870s onwards. The perception of the growing presence of suicide in society made it possible to observe what the reflections on suicide from the last quarter of the 19th century brought from different parts of Europe (Morselli, Masaryk, Durkheim) and at the same time how the discourses around suicide shed light on a somewhat broader picture of society, including its fears (of social problems and change, not least the potential threat of the imitative effect that the daily press was believed to create by reporting on suicides). The newspaper discourse usually followed the scientific publications of the time, and the contemporaneous observations on the mass of suicides were confirmed through statistical analyses and medical, sociological, philosophical and other debates, while also raising many other social issues with which suicide in urban areas could be linked (alcoholism, the growth of the proletariat, poverty, changing values, etc.). All of this shaped the public debate on suicide as a problem of modern society, with an emphasis on (big) cities, where the problem of suicide was much more pronounced than in smaller non-industrial towns or in the countryside of the Austrian Littoral.

Impact of a Brief Parenting Intervention on Parent and Infant Imitation

Research examining the effect of behavioral parenting interventions, such as parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT), on parent and child imitation is limited despite known benefits to early child development. We examined the effect of a brief, home-based adaptation of PCIT, the Infant Behavior Program (IBP), on changes in observed frequency of parent and infant imitation, moderating effects of parent language (English, Spanish), and mediational effects of parent and infant imitation on the effect of intervention on infant behavior problems. Participants were 60 12- to 15-month-olds with elevated behavior problems and their primary caregiver, all of which were mothers. Parent–infant dyads were randomly assigned to receive either the IBP or standard pediatric primary care. Parents receiving the IBP demonstrated significantly higher rates of observed imitation at postintervention and at the 3-month follow-up compared to those receiving standard care, and the effect at postintervention was stronger for English-speaking than for Spanish-speaking families. Although the IBP did not directly affect changes in infant imitation at postintervention or the 3-month follow-up, rates of infant imitation increased significantly for those who received the IBP at the 6-month follow-up. Additionally, moderation results suggested that the IBP led to improvements in infant imitation at post for Spanish-speaking families but not for English-speaking families. There were no significant mediational effects of parent or infant imitation. Future research is needed to examine the impact of increases in imitation on other aspects of child development, such as social–cognitive and language abilities, and to examine how cultural factors may play a role in individual differences in imitation.

Does digital infrastructure promote individual entrepreneurship? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment on the “Broadband China” strategy

Digital infrastructure construction provides new channels and a nurturing environment for individual entrepreneurship and is considered a significant factor in stimulating individual entrepreneurship. This study explored the impact of digital infrastructure construction on individual entrepreneurship and its mechanisms. The primary data used in this study were obtained from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS). The relevant data were analyzed using a time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model. The results indicate that the construction of digital infrastructure can significantly promote individual entrepreneurship by enhancing imitation effects, improving optimistic expectations, and creating flexible work arrangements. Moreover, its promoting effect is more pronounced among individuals with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), females, and low-income families. The study's results reveal the connection between digital infrastructure construction and entrepreneurship, providing policy recommendations and insights to help government departments achieve goals such as digitalization and common prosperity. This study also contributes to the Chinese experience in the global analysis of entrepreneurship.

CREATIVE AND PURE IMITATION UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL TURBULENCE: EVIDENCE FROM AN EMERGING ECONOMY

Due to the significance of imitation in business success and economic growth, there is an increasing interest of scholars in exploring different dimensions of imitation, illuminating the ‘black box’ of imitation. Given the increasingly turbulent nature of business environments, this study aims to investigate creative and pure imitation-based competitive strategies and their performance under different levels of environmental turbulence. A theoretical framework was tested using a sample of manufacturing firms in Vietnam. The results revealed that creative imitation is positively associated with sustained competitive advantage, while the impact of pure imitation on sustained competitive advantage is negligible. Furthermore, environmental turbulence affects both creative and pure imitation, with only creative imitation mediating the effects of environmental turbulence on sustained competitive advantage. Lastly, environmental turbulence amplifies the effect of pure imitation on sustained competitive advantage, while it has minimal moderating effects on the relationship between creative imitation and sustained competitive advantage. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to examine the effect of environmental turbulence on the performance of both creative and pure imitation strategies.

International alliances and technology diffusion: A worldwide analysis of adoption of energy, railway and satellite technologies

This study analyzes the role of international alliances in the adoption of new technology at the national level. We look at the worldwide diffusion of six key infrastructure technologies during the past six decades among 161 countries: nuclear power, solar power, wind power, marine power, high-speed rail, and telecommunication satellites. Acknowledging that international relations are not solely structured by formal alliances, we further investigate the impact of neighboring states on technology diffusion, as neighbors tend to maintain strong economic and cultural ties. We further look at simple imitation effects between states with similar political systems. With our focus on international alliances as drivers of international technology diffusion, our study complements economic studies on technology diffusion. For most of the technologies, we find evidence for spillovers between allied states as well as between neighboring states, while no such evidence was found for institutionally similar states. These results confirm the important role that international alliances may play in technology diffusion.

Stimulus specificity in combined action observation and motor imagery of typing.

Combined action observation and motor imagery (AO + MI) can improve movement execution (ME) in healthy adults and certain patient populations. However, it is unclear how the specificity of the observation component during AO + MI influences ME. As generalised observation could result in more flexible AO + MI rehabilitation programmes, this study investigated whether observing typing of target words (specific condition) or non-matching words (general condition) during AO + MI would have different effects on keyboard typing in healthy young adults. In Experiment 1, 51 students imagined typing a target word while watching typing videos that were either specific to the target word or general. There were no differences in typing execution between AO + MI conditions, though participants typed more slowly after both AO + MI conditions compared with no observation or imagery. Experiment 2 repeated Experiment 1 in 20 students, but with a faster stimulus speed in the AO + MI conditions and increased cognitive difficulty in the control condition. The results showed that the slowed typing after AO + MI was likely due to a strong influence of task-switching between imagery and execution, as well as an automatic imitation effect. Both experiments demonstrate that general and specific AO + MI comparably affect ME. In addition, slower ME following both AO + MI and a challenging cognitive task provides support for the motor-cognitive model of MI.

The Alienation of Reason: Exploring the Social Impact of Debate Talk Show Varieties

The ratings of debate talk shows such as "Qipao Shuo" and "Little Theater Talk Show" have further increased, and people prefer to watch online programs to pass the time. However, we have observed that with the popularity of talk shows, people are gradually showing signs of liking "spoofing" and "satirizing" in their daily lives, leading to further irrational and online violence in public opinion. Talk shows such as Qipao Shuo analyze and refute social and cultural perspectives, but their debate models tend to be parody and satire. This mode will produce "predictive effect" and "imitation effect", making online users also tend to play jokes and satire when facing social problems. Therefore, we adopt audience survey and interview methods to conduct research on such users, in order to explore the relationship between them and find the reasons for such phenomena.

THE EFFECT OF INFLUENCER IMITATION ON PURCHASE INTENTION MEDIATED BY SOCIAL COMPARISON AND FOMO AT FINE DINING RESTAURANTS IN JAKARTA

This study aims to examine and analyse the effect of influencers imitation on purchase intention mediated by social comparison and FoMO at fine dining restaurant in Jakarta. This research uses a quantitative descriptive research approach with a total of 150 respondents. The data analysis technique used is Partial Least Squares through Structural Equation Modeling. The results in this study show that there is a positive and significant relationship between the act of imitating influencers with social comparison and materialism. In addition, the influence of social comparison and FoMO can mediate the relationship between imitating influencers and purchase intention. This research aims to be able to contribute to the fine dining restaurant business, especially in utilising the psychological tendency to imitate influencers in society.

Modeling political mimetic isomorphism versus economic and quality factors in local government privatizations

AbstractNumerous studies have considered the economic impact and political influence of privatization. However, the theoretical approaches previously applied to model privatization, whether economic or political, have not obtained robust results. To address this question, we present a new political approach, based on mimetic isomorphism, which enables us to more accurately define the relationship between privatization, political theory and economic aspects. This new focus, termedpolitical mimetic isomorphism, hypothesizes that the privatization of public services is influenced by an imitation effect between neighboring municipalities that share a common political ideology. In our study, this approach is applied, using geostatistical tools and logistic regression analysis with spatial variables, to a sample of municipalities that privatized their water and/or waste collection services during the period 2014–2019. The results obtained demonstrate the validity of the theoretical model of political mimetic isomorphism and show that this factor exerts a stronger influence on privatization than certain economic variables.

Informational cascade, regulatory focus and purchase intention in online flash shopping

Online flash shopping has continued to gained popularity since its emergence. From the perspective of informational cascade, our study explores the psychological processes of consumer purchase decision-making in online flash sales. We investigate how external environment influences user purchase intention, as well as the psychological variables and cognitive aspects involved. Our analysis demonstrates that consumers’ propensity to imitate others and their positive perceptions of value markedly enhance their purchase intention, and that preorder size and consistency of product reviews significantly strengthen the psychology of imitation. Moreover, consumers’ regulatory focus moderates the effects of imitation, weakening self-information, and perceived value on purchase intention. Introducing the informational cascade perspective into online flash sales research, our study provides new insights into how information elements and perceived value influence consumers' impulse purchase intention. Using these insights, e-commerce retailers can develop strategies that foster a sense of urgency and excitement among consumers in online flash shopping. By ensuring consistency in customer reviews, and tactically highlighting essential product details such as pre-sale quantities, retailers can enhanced the perceived value of their products. Furthermore, meticulous management of sale duration, product assortment, and information visibility can strengthen purchase intention during flash sales. Our study enriches the understanding of consumer decision-making under the influences of herding and informational cascades.

The effect of automatic imitation in serial movements with different effectors.

Individuals often imitate the postures or gestures of others in everyday life, without even being aware. This behavioral tendency is known as "automatic imitation" in laboratory settings and is thought to play a crucial role in social interactions. Previous studies have shown that the perception of a simple finger movement activates a shared representation of the observed and executed movements, which then elicits automatic imitation. However, relatively few studies have examined whether automatic imitation is limited to simple single-finger movements or whether it can be produced using a different automatic imitation paradigm with more complex sequential movements. Therefore, this study conducted three experiments in which participants observed the sequential movements of a model and then executed a compatible (similar) action or an incompatible (different) action involving the hand or foot in response to number cues that indicated the sequence for moving their hands or feet. The delay to onset of participants' initial hand or foot movements was calculated. Participants consistently executed compatible actions faster than incompatible actions. In particular, the results showed an imitative compatibility effect with a human stimulus but not an inanimate stimulus. These results demonstrate that automatic imitation occurs during more complex movements that require memory.

Automatic imitation of speech is enhanced for non-native sounds

Simulation accounts of speech perception posit that speech is covertly imitated to support perception in a top-down manner. Behaviourally, covert imitation is measured through the stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) task. In each trial of a speech SRC task, participants produce a target speech sound whilst perceiving a speech distractor that either matches the target (compatible condition) or does not (incompatible condition). The degree to which the distractor is covertly imitated is captured by the automatic imitation effect, computed as the difference in response times (RTs) between compatible and incompatible trials. Simulation accounts disagree on whether covert imitation is enhanced when speech perception is challenging or instead when the speech signal is most familiar to the speaker. To test these accounts, we conducted three experiments in which participants completed SRC tasks with native and non-native sounds. Experiment 1 uncovered larger automatic imitation effects in an SRC task with non-native sounds than with native sounds. Experiment 2 replicated the finding online, demonstrating its robustness and the applicability of speech SRC tasks online. Experiment 3 intermixed native and non-native sounds within a single SRC task to disentangle effects of perceiving non-native sounds from confounding effects of producing non-native speech actions. This last experiment confirmed that automatic imitation is enhanced for non-native speech distractors, supporting a compensatory function of covert imitation in speech perception. The experiment also uncovered a separate effect of producing non-native speech actions on enhancing automatic imitation effects.

Tackling competition by reducing emissions: Private firms’ polluting behavior under peer IPOs

We examine the effect of competition on private firms' polluting behavior. Using detailed establishment-level data on sulfur dioxide emissions covering 1998 to 2013 and a generalized difference-in-differences empirical strategy, we find that competition caused by peer IPO has a negative impact on a firm's sulfur dioxide emissions. This effect is more pronounced when the focal firm is in a region with more market competition or stronger environmental regulation, when the focal firm is larger than or located closer to the IPO firm, or when post-IPO performance is better or the raised amount of proceeds of IPO is larger. Mechanism analyses show that focal firms reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by both increasing environmental investment and improving green research and development. The main results cannot be explained by an imitation effect, a decrease in focal firm's production, or enhanced regulation.

Imam Mahdi in Sunni Tradition: Differences in Beliefs and Interpretations

The concept of Imam Mahdi holds a special place, but differences in beliefs and interpretations regarding Imam Mahdi within the Sunni community have led to confusion and even disputes among Muslims. To gain a deeper understanding of how Imam Mahdi is viewed from the perspective of Sunni tradition and the differences in beliefs and interpretations, this research will delve into the complexities of these views and identify different frameworks of understanding. This will help us appreciate the diversity of Islamic thought and how these understandings impact religious practices and the perspectives of Muslim communities. Furthermore, it will underscore the importance of inter-sectarian dialogue in today's increasingly complex Muslim society. The research method employed in this study is a literature review, based on the analysis and synthesis of relevant literature on the specific research topic. Titled "Imam Mahdi in the Perspective of Sunni Tradition: Differences in Beliefs and Interpretations," the findings suggest that al-Mahdi plays a crucial role in elevating the status of Islam and the Muslim community to their true potential. This will enable the Muslim community to shield itself from the negative effects of materialistic modernization and blind imitation of traditions that may not align with Islamic values, as conveyed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The term 'Mahdi' refers to an eschatological figure in Islam, believed to come in the end times to establish justice throughout the world. In the Shia Islamic perspective, Mahdi is the twelfth Imam, and according to their beliefs, he will appear at some point in the future.

The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment and Urban Economic Efficiency on Environmental Pollution: Evidence from China

Foreign direct investment may increase industrial pollution intensity in the host country, which will deteriorate the host countrys environmental conditions; however, foreign direct investment may also enhance the economic efficiency of the host country through competitive effects, imitation effects, talent flows, and the related effects and in other ways. An improvement in economic efficiency indirectly affects the host countrys environment. This article first analyzes the relationships among foreign direct investment, urban economic efficiency and environmental pollution while expanding on the relevant theories. In addition, the study constructs a comprehensive environmental pollution index for 271 Chinese cities by using the entropy method with the cities panel data. The study also provides empirical testing of the connections among foreign direct investment, urban economic efficiency and pollution problems. The study finds that foreign direct investment has improved the economic efficiency of Chinese cities, the improvement in Chinas urban economic efficiency is accompanied by the discharge of pollutants, which has aggravated environmental pollution. Also, there are significant regional differences in how the foreign direct investment has shaped Chinas environment.

Is an Imitation Strategy an Enabler or a Hindrance for Exploitative or Exploratory Innovation?—The Moderating Effect of Embeddedness in Knowledge Networks

The present open innovation environment provides firms with considerable opportunities to imitate and learn from one another and makes them deeply embedded in knowledge networks, where the structural position has a great influence on firms’ R&D activities. However, the relationship between imitation and innovation, as two primary R&D approaches that firms follow in technological development, remains inconclusive. To address the inconsistent arguments concerning the appropriate role of imitation, this article explores the effects of imitation and its interaction with embeddedness in knowledge networks on two types of technological innovation: exploitative and exploratory innovations. Empirical analyses based on patent data from 175 Chinese biopharmaceutical firms from 2008 to 2018 show a prominent promoting effect of imitation on exploitative and exploratory innovation. However, the positive effects of technological imitation strategies on two types of innovation will be weakened as firms are increasingly central in the knowledge network, whereas occupying many structural holes has the opposite effect. These results offer new theoretical and practical implications to the technological imitation and innovation research domains.

Prevention of the Werther effect: compliance of the Italian newspapers to the ‘reporting on suicide’ recommendations

ObjectivesSuicide media coverage could lead to imitation, the so-called ‘Werther effect’. The World Health Organization (WHO) published specific recommendations for reporting suicide news. This study aimed to quantify the compliance of Italian newspapers with the WHO suicide reporting guidelines. Study designThis was a quantitative content analysis study. MethodsAll articles published by the three main Italian newspapers from June 2019 to May 2020 describing suicides or attempted suicides were included. The articles were analyzed using a checklist based on the WHO recommendations, which included 18 ‘negative’ items (e.g. ‘presence of the word ‘suicide’ in the title’) and nine ‘positive’ items (e.g. ‘the article reports the contacts of a suicide prevention hotline’). Each negative item was scored −1, and each positive item was scored +1. Multivariate linear regressions were performed to identify factors associated with lower adherence to WHO recommendations and higher social media engagement with the articles. ResultsA total of 3483 articles were screened, and 110 articles were included in the final analysis. The suicidal was male in 73.6% of cases. The median checklist score was −6 (interquartile range 3). Five percent of the articles had at least one positive item. The word ‘suicide’ was found in 90% of the titles. Female suicides were associated with a higher checklist score (coefficient 0.81, P = 0.039). No correlation was found between the checklist score and the social media engagement of the articles. ConclusionsItalian newspapers do not adhere completely to the WHO recommendations on reporting suicide, leading to a potential imitation effect. Public health professionals should make decision-makers and journalists aware of the importance of these recommendations.