How do children ape? Applying concepts from the study of non‐human primates to the developmental study of ‘imitation’ in children

TLDR

The paper argues that failing to distinguish between imitation and emulation, coupled with limited research on tool‑use transmission, hampers understanding of early social learning. The study highlights neglected aspects of social learning—specifically tool‑use acquisition and whether children imitate actions or emulate effects—and outlines future research pitfalls. The authors critically examine existing developmental data and comparative literature to analyze these mechanisms. They conclude that children observe and copy actions (blind imitation) but do not learn why those actions are effective (emulation), and they specify requirements for adequate future studies.

Abstract

We highlight two aspects of research into social learning that have been neglected in existing developmental research, namely: (1) The role of social learning in learning to use tools, and (2) Whether children’s social learning involves copying the actions themselves (‘blind’ imitation or mimicry), or alternatively, the effects of those actions (emulation). In Part I of the paper we argue that the failure to distinguish between these different mechanisms is closely related to the lack of research on the social transmission of tool use and that both omissions limit our understanding of early social learning. We conclude Part I by outlining the requirements for an adequate study of these two issues. In Part II, we use this analysis to critically examine data from existing developmental research with children. We also assess the data currently available in the comparative literature which address these issues more directly. We conclude that children learn only what actions to perform via observation (‘blind’ imitation or mimicry), and not why those actions are effective (emulation). We close by identifying important potential pitfalls and unresolved questions for the future study of the social learning of actions on objects.