CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 2,683Action Observation and SynchronizationMotor Control and AdaptationNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Cortical mechanisms of human imitation

Iacoboni, Marco, Woods, Roger P., Brass, Marcel, Bekkering, Harold, Mazziotta, John C., Rizzolatti, Giacomo·1999·Science
DOI 10.1126/science.286.5449.2526
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

How does imitation occur? How can the motor plans necessary for imitating an action derive from the observation of that action? Imitation may be based on a mechanism directly matching the observed action onto an internal motor representation of that action ("direct matching hypothesis"). To test this hypothesis, normal human participants were asked to observe and imitate a finger movement and to perform the same movement after spatial or symbolic cues. Brain activity was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. If the direct matching hypothesis is correct, there should be areas that become active during finger movement, regardless of how it is evoked, and their activation should increase when the same movement is elicited by the observation of an identical movement made by another individual. Two areas with these properties were found in the left inferior frontal cortex (opercular region) and the rostral-most region of the right superior parietal lobule.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1126/science.286.5449.2526

Cites

43 of 43 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The mirror neuron system responds during observation and execution of similar actions.

    “In the case of imitation, the mirror neuron system (MNS) has been hypothesized to underlie automatic response activation (Ferrari et al., 2009), since it responds during the observation and execution of similar actions and provides input to primary motor cortex (Di Pellegrino et al., 1992; Iacoboni et al., 1999; Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004).”

    From To imitate or not: Avoiding imitation involves preparatory inhibition of motor resonance (2014) · cites this paper as Iacoboni et al., 1999

  • The mirror neuron system provides input to primary motor cortex.

    “In the case of imitation, the mirror neuron system (MNS) has been hypothesized to underlie automatic response activation (Ferrari et al., 2009), since it responds during the observation and execution of similar actions and provides input to primary motor cortex (Di Pellegrino et al., 1992; Iacoboni et al., 1999; Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004).”

    From To imitate or not: Avoiding imitation involves preparatory inhibition of motor resonance (2014) · cites this paper as Iacoboni et al., 1999

  • The direct matching hypothesis suggests imitation as a prepotent response tendency.

    “As such, the direct matching hypothesis between perception of an action and the activation of its internal motor representation (Iacoboni et al., 1999) suggests imitation as a prepotent response tendency (Brass et al., 2005).”

    From Interplay of self-other distinction and cognitive control mechanisms in a social automatic imitation task: An ERP study (2021) · cites this paper as Iacoboni et al., 1999

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging has identified regions of premotor cortex (BA6 and BA44) and inferior parietal areas that are active during both action observation and execution.

    “Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has identified regions of PMC (both classic BA6, and BA44) and inferior parietal areas that are active during both action observation and execution”

    From Mirror neurons: from origin to function (2014) · cites this paper as Iacoboni et al., 1999

  • This process seems to prime the execution of similar actions, which suggests that the mirror-neuron system mediates imitation, by priming execution of the same action.

    “Moreover, this process seems to prime the execution of similar actions, which suggests that the mirror-neuron system mediates imitation, by priming (i.e., preparing the brain for) execution of the same action (e.g., Iacoboni et al. 1999).”

    From An Evolutionary Upgrade of Cognitive Load Theory: Using the Human Motor System and Collaboration to Support the Learning of Complex Cognitive Tasks (2012) · cites this paper as Iacoboni et al. 1999

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Iacoboni, M., Woods, R. P., Brass, M., Bekkering, H., Mazziotta, J. C., & Rizzolatti, G.
Affiliations
  • Brain Mapping Center, Neuropsychiatric Institute,
  • Max Planck Society (DE)
  • Department of Cognition and Action, Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Leopoldstrasse 24, D-80802 Munich, Germany.
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • University of Parma (IT)
Corresponding author
Iacoboni, Marco
ORCID
Venue
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
1999-12-24
Volume
286
Issue
5449
Pages
2526-2528
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.286.5449.2526
OpenAlex
W2157915068
Cited by
2,683
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 61 · 2019: 83 · 2018: 87 · 2017: 96 · 2016: 90 · 2015: 120 · 2014: 138 · 2013: 127 · 2012: 160
FWCI
76.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
imitation, action observation, motor planning, mirror neuron system, inferior frontal cortex, superior parietal lobule, finger movement
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain Mapping, Cues, Female, Fingers, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Movement, Neurons, Parietal Lobe

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review