title: Evolution, development and intentional control of imitation.
abstract: Imitation is at the heart of social cognitive neuroscience. It is a neurocognitive process that bridges the gap between minds; powers cognitive and social development; promotes cooperation and well-being; and provides a channel of cultural inheritance. The papers in this theme issue review cutting-edge research on imitation and report original data using all of the principal methodologies, including comparative, developmental, cognitive-behavioural and neurological techniques. This paper introduces these interdisciplinary contributions and, proposing that the field currently has four inter-related foci--correspondence, control, cooperation and cultural inheritance--offers an overview of the state-of-the-art in research on the mechanisms and functions of imitation.
authors.affiliation: All Souls College and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4AL, UK. cecilia.heyes@all-souls.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heyes
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D009488:Neurosciences; D012919:Social Behavior