La capacité d'imitation à la naissance: Elle existe, mais que signifie-t-elle?

Much of the research on early imitations is restricted to the problem of their existence, without trying to describe them. The aim of this research is to analyze the principal characteristics of neonatal imitations in order to differentiate them from the later imitations. The behaviours of 16 neonates were filmed. A facial and a manual model were used. A detailed analysis of newborn behaviour revealed several features of early imitations: They were selective, quite exact, integrated, and occurred with short-time latencies. These results are interpreted within a cognitive framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)