Being mimicked increases pro-social behaviour in adults, yet little is known about its social effect on children. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now investigated whether the fact of being imitated had an influence on infants' pro-social behaviour and on young children's trust in another person.
The power of imitation: Already in infancy, imitation promotes a general pro-social orientation toward others
Journal References:
1. Harriet Over, Malinda Carpenter, Russell Spears, Merideth Gattis. Children Selectively Trust Individuals Who Have Imitated Them. Social Development, 2013; 22 (2): 215 DOI: 10.1111/sode.12020
2. Malinda Carpenter, Johanna Uebel, Michael Tomasello. Being Mimicked Increases Prosocial Behavior in 18-Month-Old Infants. Child Development, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12083
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