title: Working memory constraints on imitation and emulation.
abstract: Does working memory (WM) constrain the amount and type of information children copy from a model? To answer this question, preschool-age children (N=165) were trained and then tested on a touch-screen task that involved touching simultaneously presented pictures. Prior to responding, children saw a model generate two target responses: Order (touching all of the pictures on the screen in a target sequence three consecutive times) and Multi-Tap (consistently touching one of the pictures two times). Children's accuracy copying Order and Multi-Tap was assessed on two types of sequences: low WM load (2 pictures) and high WM load (3 pictures). Results showed that more children copied both Order and Multi-Tap on 2-picture sequences than on 3-picture sequences. Children who copied only one of the two target responses tended to copy only Order on 2-picture sequences but only Multi-Tap on 3-picture sequences. Instructions to either copy or ignore the Multi-Tap response did not affect this overall pattern of results. In sum, results are consistent with the hypothesis that WM constrains not just the amount but also the type of information children copy from models, potentially modulating whether children imitate or emulate in a given task.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; Mind-Brain Institute and Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of Natural History and National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: subiaul@gwu.edu.
authors.forename: Francys
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Subiaul
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schilder
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D002666:Psychology, Child
keywords: Children; Cognition; Cognitive development; Emulation; Imitation; Overimitation; Social learning; Working memory