Imitation is a complex form of social learning. Individuals benefit immensely from social learning. To learn a new task by copying (imitating) skilled performers is a clever way to avoid making unnecessary mistakes in order to search for the correct solutions. It reduces the amount of time spend on learning how to solve a particular task or situation. It also speeds up the process of learning of motor skills and "environmental affordances" in the world. …
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showed last 75 words of 2534 total
…Chimps in the wild show stirrings of culture. 3. McGrew, W. C. (1998) Culture in non-human primates. Ann. Rev. Anthropol 27, 301-328. 4. Tomasello, M. Do apes ape? In C.M. Heyes and B.G. Galef (eds) Social learning in animals: the roots of culture. 5. Miklosi, A. (1999) The ethological analysis of imitation. Biol. Rev. 74, 347-374. 6. Rizzolatti, G and M.A. Arbib (1998) Language within our grasp. Trends in Neuroscience 21, 188_194. 7. Handout and Lecture notes, Autumn 2001, Prof. Tom Collett at Sussex University.