A desire to fit in with others is a seemingly natural part of being human. From a very young age, there is a strong motivation for children to follow conventions (e.g., Haun & Tomasello, 2011; Haun et ...

The ability to imitate gestures is key to learning from others and it helps foster social interactions. Children with autism, however, tend to imitate less often and less accurately than peers without ...

A new study examines the emergence of overimitation in infants aged between 16 and 21 months to see if and how it is linked to social affiliation and other forms of imitation. The researchers found ...

This spring, I am teaching a course on cross-cultural comparisons in play. As part of the class, students will observe children at play at various sites in the U.S. (playgrounds, indoor play spaces, ...

Imitation is one of the great joys of parenting.