Imitative flexibility and the development of cultural learning
Abstract
Two studies test the hypothesis that imitative fidelity is influenced by cues to interpret behavior as instrumental versus conventional. Study 1 (N=57, 4-5-yr-olds) manipulated non-verbal cues (start- and end-states of action sequences) and Study 2 (N=211, 4-6-yr-olds) manipulated verbal cues to examine the effects of information about instrumental versus conventional goals on imitative fidelity. Imitative fidelity was highest (Studies 1 and 2), innovation was lowest (Study 1), and difference detection was more accurate (Study 2) when cued with information about conventional rather than instrumental behavior. The results provide novel insight into the kinds of information children use to adjudicate between instrumental and conventional behavior.
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Cues of social intention are even more important to an observer when the behavior being observed is ambiguous in its purpose.
“Cues of social intention in such cases are even more important to an observer (usually a child or new initiate) when the behavior being observed is ambiguous in its purpose (Legare, Wen, Herrmann, & Whitehouse, 2015).”
From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Legare, Wen, Herrmann, & Whitehouse, 2015
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References 107 · Cited by 221
- Authors
- Legare, C. H., Wen, N. J., Herrmann, P. A., & Whitehouse, H.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Legare, Cristine H.
- Venue
- Cognition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-09
- Volume
- 142
- Pages
- 351-361
- ISSN
- 0010-0277 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1680787583
- Cited by
- 221
- References
- 107
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 59.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- ESRC (REF RES-060-25-0085)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Keywords
- imitation, cultural learning, instrumental behavior, action sequences, verbal cues, nonverbal cues, innovation, difference detection, children, social learning
- MeSH terms
- Social Learning, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Cues, Culture, Female, Goals, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Male, Social Behavior, Verbal Behavior
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