Imitation Effect Research Articles

Diffusion dynamics of electronic health records: A longitudinal observational study comparing data from hospitals in Germany and the United States

BackgroundWhile aiming for the same goal of building a national eHealth Infrastructure, Germany and the United States pursued different strategic approaches – particularly regarding the role of promoting the adoption and usage of hospital Electronic Health Records (EHR). ObjectiveTo measure and model the diffusion dynamics of EHRs in German hospital care and to contrast the results with the developments in the US. Materials and methodsAll acute care hospitals that were members of the German statutory health system were surveyed during the period 2007–2017 for EHR adoption. Bass models were computed based on the German data and the corresponding data of the American Hospital Association (AHA) from non-federal hospitals in order to model and explain the diffusion of innovation. ResultsWhile the diffusion dynamics observed in the US resembled the typical s-shaped curve with high imitation effects (q = 0.583) but with a relatively low innovation effect (p = 0.025), EHR diffusion in Germany stagnated with adoption rates of approx. 50% (imitation effect q = -0.544) despite a higher innovation effect (p = 0.303). DiscussionThese findings correlate with different governmental strategies in the US and Germany of financially supporting EHR adoption. Imitation only seems to work if there are financial incentives, e.g. those of the HITECH Act in the US. They are lacking in Germany, where the government left health IT adoption strategies solely to the free market and the consensus among all of the stakeholders. ConclusionBass diffusion models proved to be useful for distinguishing the diffusion dynamics in German and US non-federal hospitals. When applying the Bass model, the imitation parameter needs a broader interpretation beyond the network effects, including driving forces such as incentives and regulations, as was demonstrated by this study.

Laggards imitate, leaders innovate: the heterogeneous productivity effect of imitation versus innovation

Abstract This study finds that imitation increases the productivity of laggards more than that of leaders, while innovation has the opposite effect. As firms approach the productivity frontier, the effect of imitation on productivity decreases, while that of innovation increases. The empirical evidence suggests that search costs are the mechanism underlying this effect. Firms increase their productivity by imitating productive firms. When they become more productive, search costs increase, because they have fewer opportunities to imitate.

The effect of technological imitation on corporate innovation: Evidence from US patent data

Technological imitation may play a crucial role in motivating firms to innovate. However, theoretical predictions and empirical findings on the role of imitation have not yet reached a consensus. One major gap in the previous studies is that the empirical tests are based on samples consisting of only one industry over a short period of time. This study uses a novel measure of industry-level technological imitation proxied by quick citations by competitors to examine the relationship between imitation and innovation. Using US patent data for the period 1977–2005, we find that there are inverted U-shaped relationships between the degree of industry-level technological imitation and industry-level innovation activities and between the degree of industry-level technological imitation and the value of firm-level innovation. Our results suggest that positive externalities from the interactions among firms during the innovation process outweigh the negative effects of free-riding concerns on firms’ innovation activities and incentives to innovate up to a high degree of technological imitation, while free-riding concerns outweigh the positive externalities when the level of technological imitation is extremely high. The sector-by-sector analyses show that the relationship between technological imitation and the quantity and market value of innovation are not very different across Pavitt sectors. A comparative analysis on the role of imitation between agglomerated and non-agglomerated industries suggests that the positive effect of a moderate level of imitation and the negative effect of an excessive level of imitation are more pronounced for agglomerated industries. The results suggest that creating innovation clusters, such as Silicon Valley in the United States and Shenzhen City in China, and allowing different innovators to cooperate, imitate and compete with each other would be very effective in promoting corporate innovation. However, an excessively high level of technological imitation is more detrimental for firms in innovation clusters because it lowers those firms’ incentives to innovate more radically.

Globalisation and cultural change in Pacific Island countries: the role of tourism

Globalisation is often perceived as a threat to the preservation of traditional cultures. There are various approaches to understanding the impact of globalisation on culture. Pieterse’s three paradigms of globalisation and culture, clash of civilisations, McDonaldisation and hybridisation, provide a useful theoretical foundation for understanding how tourism impacts culture. The three paradigms of globalisation assess cultural change holistically. Cultural change in Pacific Island countries (PIC) due to globalisation, especially tourism’s role, in this change, is the focus. Data are sourced via interviews with various tourism stakeholders from Fiji, Tonga and Cook Islands. Tourism is only one driver of cultural change. Other forces include mobilities, migration, diaspora, geopolitical change, technology and popular culture. Examples of the clash of civilisations paradigm include geopolitical changes resulting in different tourism markets and the imitation effect from diaspora and tourists. Commodification of cultural performance for both tourist and local consumption and use of popular culture, for example the animated film Moana, are viewed as McDonaldisation of culture. Participants’ reflections on ongoing evolution of culture including the integration of PIC into the world economy, through increased mobilities and technologies, exemplify hybridisation. In general, the three PIC are found to be culturally resilient. Culture of these PIC is resilient with Pacific Islanders maintaining agency over change, however the impact of various globalisation factors demand effort in preserving culture in the long term.

PARTICIPACIÓN Y PERFIL DE LOS USUARIOS QUE COMENTAN NOTICIAS DE CIENCIA Y SALUD ONLINE: ESTUDIO DE CASO

El receptor de noticias se ha convertido en un actor principal en el entorno online, ya que ahora es capaz de participar en ellas realizando comentarios, amplificándolas o compartiéndolas. El presente estudio de caso analiza el tipo de participación y el perfil de los usuarios que realizan comentarios a noticias online de temática científico-sanitaria. Se aplica un análisis de contenido a 2970 comentarios recogidos en noticias sobre la relación entre carnes rojas y procesadas y cáncer publicadas en el periódico de habla hispana con mayor audiencia en Internet, elpais.com, entre el 26 de octubre de 2015 y el 1 de febrero de 2018.

Observation and Imitation of Social Emotions Are Essential for Improving Cognitive and Affective Theory of Mind in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis.

People with schizophrenia often demonstrate deficits in theory of mind (ToM), which may be addressed via social cognition training that includes observation and imitation of social emotions. We examined the effect of observation and imitation on ToM and whether computerized cognitive training (CCT) can improve ToM. Among 14 controlled trials, 264 of 494 people with schizophrenia received treatment. Observation and imitation of social emotions improved cognitive (g = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.76) and affective ToM (g = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.34-0.73), versus treatment as usual or cognitive rehabilitation alone. CCT did not significantly enhance affective ToM (p = 0.42); however, cognitive ToM improvements without CCT (g = 1.20; 95% CI, 0.78-1.61) were superior to those with CCT (g = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.02-0.64; p < 0.01). Observation and imitation of social emotions are essential for improving ToM in schizophrenia, but CCT may not improve ToM.

Information versus imitation in a real-time agent-based model of financial markets

This paper presents an agent based model of a financial market with a real-time engine, whose operation replicates the official time schedule of Borsa Italiana S.p.A. Simulated time series are compared with empirical data at different time scales (ticks, 1 s, 1 min, 5 min) in order to check the compliance of the model with some stylized facts. The modeled market structure is a dynamic multiplex with two layers: the first one is a star network, whose hub is the market maker (i.e., the owner of the venue holding the order book), where transactions are executed; the second one is designed according to different topologies, representing social interactions, where investors decide their behavior according to informative flows. The effect of imitation on market stability is discussed and some policy implications are provided.

Genetic algorithm optimized non-destructive prediction on property of mechanically injured peaches during postharvest storage by portable visible/shortwave near-infrared spectroscopy

The melting-flesh peach (Prunus persica, cv. 'Baihua') tends to rapidly decay after harvest in summer with a short after-ripening period. Although the use of preservatives can inhibit the growth of microorganisms, collisions during transportation greatly affect the shelf life for subsequent sales. To build a high-accuracy model to predict the inner physiological status of mechanically injured peaches during postharvest storage, visible/shortwave near-infrared (Vis/SWNIR) diffuse reflection spectra (300–1150 nm) were acquired for analysis. With 840 samples, two drop heights (30 cm and 60 cm) were applied to study the variations in total soluble solids (TSS) polyphenol oxidase (PPO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and relative electrolyte leakage (REL) by percussive tests. After multiplicative scatter correction and Savitzky-Golay smoothing pretreatments, optimal feature selections from a total of 1024 wavelengths were determined using genetic algorithm (GA) in PLS modeling. For TSS, the best correlation (rp) is 0.89, root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) is 0.40 and relative percent deviation (RPD) is 2.94. For PPO, the best rp is 0.71, RMSEP is 20.34 and RPD is 2.75. For MDA, the best rp is 0.83, RMSEP is 0.17 and RPD is 1.90. For REL, the best rp is 0.92, RMSEP is 1.42 and RPD is 2.44. Through several verifications, the GA-PLS models showed good imitative effects and high precisions. They could predict the condition of peaches with minor injury, which are difficult to detect with the naked eye, to reduce loss in practical production.

Can action observation modulate balance performance in healthy subjects?

BackgroundAction observation activates brain motor networks and, if followed by action imitation, it facilitates motor learning and functional recovery in patients with both neurological and musculoskeletal disorders. To date, few studies suggested that action observation plus imitation can improve balance skills; however, it is still unclear whether the simple repetitive observation of challenging balance tasks is enough to modify postural control. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to investigate whether repetitive action observation of balance exercises without imitation has the potential to improve balance performance; the secondary aim was to estimate the different training effects of action observation, action observation plus imitation and balance training relative to a control condition in healthy subjects.MethodsSeventy-nine healthy young adults were randomly assigned to 4 groups: action observation, action observation plus imitation, balance training and control. The first three groups were trained for about 30 minutes every day for three weeks, whereas the control group received no training. Center of pressure path length and sway area were evaluated on a force platform at baseline and after training using posturographic tests with eyes open and closed.ResultsAs expected, both action observation plus imitation and balance training groups compared to the control group showed balance improvements, with a medium to large effect size performing balance tasks with eyes open. Action observation without imitation group showed a balance improvement with eyes open, but without a significant difference relative to the control group.ConclusionsBoth action observation plus imitation and balance training have similar effects in improving postural control in healthy young subjects. Future studies on patients with postural instability are necessary to clarify whether AOT can induce longer lasting effects. Action observation alone showed a trend toward improving postural control in healthy subjects, suggesting the possibility to study its effects in temporarily immobilized diseased subjects.

The determination of reasonable number of soil infiltration test in farmland

At the experimental base of Tianjin Agricultural University, the infiltration process of water was measured by double - ring infiltration instrument at six points. Horton，Philip and Kostiakov-lewis (K-l) infiltration models were fitted with the infiltration data measured and the parameters were correspondingly obtained. Six sets of parameters of the corresponding infiltration model were obtained, and six sets of parameters were used for statistical analysis. The reasonable number of points of the corresponding model was obtained. Then, the statistical analysis of the cumulative infiltration amount was used to obtain the variation of the number of reasonable points in the three models with time. The results show that the imitative effect of accumulative infiltration water and time in K-l model is the best, and the curve of reasonable test points determined by K-l model with time is located under the other two models; The reasonable number of points determined by the parameter K in the K-l model is the least and most reasonable. In view of this, the number of reasonable points was determined by using the parameter K in the K-l model.

Minors, bullying and suicide. A case study through spanish reference digital media

Media are supposed to pay special attention to the traditional journalistic ethical norms in the cases of media coverage of bullying in schools (Olweus, 1998; Mason, 2008), insofar as these combine childhood, violence and, in some unfortunate cases, suicide (Herrera et al., 2015). Even if mass media have traditionally avoided these kind of coverage, giving rise to an informative silence that answers to its concern about a possible “imitation effect” (Philips, 1974), it is a fact that the topic has gained attention in the media sphere, probably due a growing public and social interest towards the bullying problem. Because of the scarce researches on media coverage of bullying in schools related to suicide (Muller, 2011), this paper examines the ethical codes and the media treatment of three significant cases in Spain. The results shed light on the consequences of releasing this kind of informative content and on the options to improve this kind of treatment avoiding risk factors.

게임에서 제시되는 폭력성 모방이 스트레스 해소, 정체성 혼란과 게임중독에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

본 연구는 언어적 폭력, 도구적 폭력, 모방, 스트레스 해소, 정체성 혼란이 게임중독에 미치는 영향관계를 파악하고, 이를 통해 게임 업계 및 국가정책 담당자에게 게임중독 해소 방안 및 치료에 대한 효과적인 제안점을 제시하고자 하였다. 따라서 온라인 게임 및 모바일 게임을 현재도 지속적으로 이용하는 표본 348명을 대상으로 조사하였다. 수집된 자료를 바탕으로 신뢰성 및 타당성 검증을 하였고, 대상자에 대한 일반적인 특성은 빈도분석을 이용하였다. AMOS 분석을 통해 변수들 간의 인과관계를 검증하였다. 분석결과를 통한 연구의 시사점은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 게임 업계 및 게임 관련 국가 정책 담당자들은 게임의 폭력성 부분을 일정 수준으로 낮출 수 있도록 게임 개발 시 고려해야 하고, 나아가 정책적으로 폭력성 등급, 게임 무기의 유형 등을 일정 수준으로 한정할 필요가 있다. 둘째, 게임 업계 및 게임 관련 국가 정책 담당자들은 게임 이용과 연계할 수 있는 다양한 여가활동들을 개발하여 이벤트화 할 필요가 있고, 이를 통해 이용자들의 심리적 상태를 긍정적으로 바꿀 수 있는 프로그램을 발굴해야 할 것이다. 마지막으로 게임 업계 및 게임 관련 국가 정책 담당자들은 게임에 몰두된 이용자들을 대상으로 건강 및 심리적 체크 시스템을 지역별로 구축해야 할 것이고, 나아가 가족 및 집단 상담체계를 마련하여 게임 이용자 스스로 가족 및 친구, 학교 등에서 자신의 정체성을 확립할 수 있도록 하는 정책을 마련해야 할 것이다.

Event-related potentials of automatic imitation are modulated by ethnicity during stimulus processing, but not during motor execution

This study investigated neural processes underlying automatic imitation and its modulation by ethnically diverse hand stimuli (Black, White) using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Automatic imitation relies on motor stimulus-response compatibility (SRC), i.e., response conflict caused by motoric (in)congruency between task-irrelevant hand stimuli and the required response. Our novel task aimed to separate two distinct neuro-cognitive processing stages of automatic imitation and its modulation by ethnicity: the stage of stimulus processing (i.e. perception), comprising presentation of stimulus ethnicity and SRC, and the stage of response execution (i.e. action). Effects of ethnicity were observed in ERPs of different stages of stimulus processing - during presentation of ethnicity (LPP) and SRC (N190, P3). ERPs at response execution, Pre-Motion Positivity (PMP) and Reafferent Potential (RAP), were only sensitive to congruency. The N190 results may index visual self-other distinction, while the neural timecourse of P3 and PMP variation could reflect a dynamical decision process linking perception to action, with motor initiation reflected in the PMP component. The PMP might further index motor-related self-other distinction regardless of ethnicity. Importantly, overt motor execution was not influenced by ethnically diverse stimuli, which suggests generalizability of the automatic imitation effect across ethnicities.

The Heterogeneous Productivity Effect of Imitation versus Innovation

This study compares the productivity effect of imitation versus innovation. Both imitation and innovation enhance productivity. The magnitude of their effect is heterogeneous and varies along firms...

Couchsurfing in Tourism – Fashion or Lifestyle?

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to analyse the factors influencing the decision to choose couchsurfing as a manner of accommodation or even a way of organizing an entire stay. The specific objective of the study is to present the connection between the decision of accommodation choice and the lifestyle or to short-term, individual decisions related to fashion and the effect of imitation. Method. Individual in-depth interviews with the couchsurfers (users of Couchsurfing.org) were conducted. Findings. As a result, there was a correlation between the represented lifestyle and the way of organizing the visit with couchsurfing. The fashion and effect of imitation are not relevant and do not affect the choice of couchsurfing as a way of accommodation in the case of experienced people who used it more than once. Research and conclusions limitation. The exploratory character of the study and the small sample size are the limitation and do not allow to formulate general conclusions about couchsurfing. Practical implications. The analysis can determine further research on lifestyle as a factor influencing the choice of accommodation in the area of collaborative consumption. Originality. The individualization and personalization of tourism services can be observed. Couchsurfing is the manifestation of this phenomenon. It is based on mutual hospitality (free accommodation) and helps to buildrelationships between people. Previous studies did not verify the impact of fashion and the effect of imitation on the use of couchsurfing. Type of paper. This article presents the results of empirical research.

The Press and Suicides in the 19th Century: Investigating Possible Imitative Effects in Five Territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

During the 19th century, suicide rates increased in many countries. The press may have contributed to this increase, even though empirical evidence is lacking in this regard. We assessed suicide statistics within five territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1871 and 1910 and combined these data with a content analysis of suicide reporting in five newspapers, each appearing in one of the five territories. The analysis revealed a covariation between the quantity of reporting and the number of suicides within all five regions. Furthermore, the quantity of reporting significantly predicted the following year's suicides. Although the causal order of suicides and the quantity of reporting should be assessed with caution, evidence is consistent with the idea that the press may have contributed to the establishment of suicide as a mass phenomenon. The findings also support contemporary guidelines for journalists, especially the notion of avoiding undue repetition of suicide stories.

Optimal imitation capacity and crossover phenomenon in the dynamics of social contagions

In the threshold model of social contagions with non-redundant memory, researchers have overlooked the investigation on the limited imitation (LI) effect, which shows individual imitates the behavior adoption only for a certain range of ratio of his adopted informants. To understand such LI effect, we propose a social contagion model with a gate-like adoption probability consisting of the ‘on’ and ‘off’ thresholds. With extensive numerical simulations, we find that, given information transmission probability and a gate width (the ‘off’ threshold minus the ‘on’ threshold), there exists an optimal imitation capacity with the optimal ‘on’ threshold maximizing the final adoption size. And the large ‘off’ threshold serves for further enlarging the final adoption size at a given ‘on’ threshold. Besides, a cross phenomenon in phase transition is also uncovered: the increase of ‘on’ threshold causes the growth pattern of final behavior adoption size versus the information transmission probability change from the second-order to the first-order phase transition. We finally find that the above phenomena are qualitatively unaffected by the heterogeneity level of degree distribution. At last, an edge-based compartmental theory is conceived for theoretical analysis. And our suggested theory agrees well with the simulation results.

Automatic imitation effects are influenced by experience of synchronous action in children

By their fourth year of life, children are expert imitators, but it is unclear how this ability develops. One approach suggests that certain types of experience might forge associations between the sensory and motor representations of an action that may facilitate imitation at a later time. Sensorimotor experience of this sort may occur when an infant’s action is imitated by a caregiver or when socially synchronous action occurs. This learning approach, therefore, predicts that the strength of sensory–motor associations should depend on the frequency and quality of previous experience. Here, we tested this prediction by examining automatic imitation, that is, the tendency of an action stimulus to facilitate the performance of that action and interfere with the performance of an incompatible action. We required children (aged between 3 years 8 months and 7 years 11 months) to respond to actions performed by an experimenter (e.g., two hands clapping) with both compatible actions (i.e., two hands clapping) and incompatible actions (i.e., two hands waving) at different stages in the experimental procedure. As predicted by a learning account, actions thought to be performed in synchrony (i.e., clapping/waving) produced stronger automatic imitation effects when compared with actions where previous sensorimotor experience is likely to be more limited (e.g., pointing/hand closing). Furthermore, these automatic imitation effects were not found to vary with age, with both compatible and incompatible responses quickening with age. These findings suggest a role for sensorimotor experience in the development of imitative ability.

Effects of stimulus response compatibility on covert imitation of vowels

When we observe someone else speaking, we tend to automatically activate the corresponding speech motor patterns. When listening, we therefore covertly imitate the observed speech. Simulation theories of speech perception propose that covert imitation of speech motor patterns supports speech perception. Covert imitation of speech has been studied with interference paradigms, including the stimulus–response compatibility paradigm (SRC). The SRC paradigm measures covert imitation by comparing articulation of a prompt following exposure to a distracter. Responses tend to be faster for congruent than for incongruent distracters; thus, showing evidence of covert imitation. Simulation accounts propose a key role for covert imitation in speech perception. However, covert imitation has thus far only been demonstrated for a select class of speech sounds, namely consonants, and it is unclear whether covert imitation extends to vowels. We aimed to demonstrate that covert imitation effects as measured with the SRC paradigm extend to vowels, in two experiments. We examined whether covert imitation occurs for vowels in a consonant–vowel–consonant context in visual, audio, and audiovisual modalities. We presented the prompt at four time points to examine how covert imitation varied over the distracter’s duration. The results of both experiments clearly demonstrated covert imitation effects for vowels, thus supporting simulation theories of speech perception. Covert imitation was not affected by stimulus modality and was maximal for later time points.

Using urban environmental policy data to understand the domains of smartness: An analysis of spatial autocorrelation for all the Italian chief towns

Despite the widespread implementation of policies tagged as ‘smart’, the concept of smart city itself still misses a solid and testable definition. Many scientific contributions used composite indicators to rank the cities according to their degree of smartness, often using un-robust methods and heterogeneous data. In this application we relied on statistical criteria to comprehend the principal components of smart policies. We used the environmental data coming from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat), describing the adoption of smart policies in the urban environment (ICT use, smart mobility, green innovation, sustainable governance etc.). The indicators, covering all the Italian chief towns (116 cities), have been normalized and classified in order to derive a taxonomy for the smartness’ domains. Rather than producing an overall ranking, the performances of cities have been analysed for each domain, with regards to the geographic location of cities. Northern cities show better performances overall. In order to investigate into the – Italian well-known – North-South polarization, we used spatial autocorrelations techniques to discover the localized clustering of cities with high or low scores. Belonging to the same administrative region and imitation effect are both possible explanations of the observed clustering.