Infants Exhibit Overimitation, Lacking In-Group Preference: Research Findings

Research indicates that overimitation, a behavior observed in which individuals mimic actions that do not contribute to achieving a specific goal, begins in infancy. However, a recent study highlights that this behavior is not yet associated with in-group preferences among infants.

Human beings are inherently social, exhibiting a greater inclination for social interaction compared to other primates. This social inclination is evident from an early stage, as various studies have shown that young children often imitate adult behaviors, which aids in skill acquisition, cultural transmission, and the development of social bonds.

The phenomenon of overimitation has primarily been explored in children aged three to five, with limited research focusing on younger infants. In a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Concordia University, infants aged 16 to 21 months were examined to understand the onset of overimitation and its connection to social affiliation and other forms of imitation.

The study's lead researcher indicated that while adults often engage in overimitation to foster social connections, infants in the study demonstrated low levels of overimitation without any clear preference for in-group affiliations. This finding suggests that the motivation to overimitate for social bonding purposes may develop later in childhood.

To conduct the research, 73 infants, with an average age of just over 18 months, participated in four distinct tasks designed to evaluate different types of imitation. Each task involved an experimenter demonstrating actions for the infants to replicate, with their responses being meticulously scored.

Among the tasks was an overimitation exercise where the infants were shown how to open a toy box using a sequence of three actions, one of which was irrelevant to the goal. Additionally, an elicited imitation task was employed, requiring the infants to accurately replicate a sequence of actions, such as placing a teddy bear to bed. The unfulfilled intentions imitation task involved the experimenter attempting an action but failing to complete it, prompting the infants to fulfill the task themselves.

Furthermore, an in-group preference task was designed in which infants observed a woman and a robot performing the same actions with a plush toy. The infants were subsequently scored based on which character's toy they reached for first. The research aimed to ascertain whether infants exhibited a tendency to affiliate with individuals who resembled them.

The results indicated that only the elicited imitation and unfulfilled intentions tasks demonstrated a significant correlation, while the other two tasks did not show any such relationship. Researchers speculate that a connection between overimitation and in-group preferences may emerge as children grow older, as evidenced by preliminary studies conducted in the same laboratory.

By the age of four and a half, children who engage in overimitation are more likely to exhibit preferences for peers who share similar gender and ethnic backgrounds. This observation highlights a developmental trend suggesting a growing awareness of group identity.

The findings underscore the necessity for further investigation into overimitation, given its crucial role in child development. Educators and parents are encouraged to recognize that children will mimic behaviors, including those that may not serve a practical purpose, and to nurture critical thinking skills as part of their upbringing.