10 examples of imitation behavior
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imitation
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imitation
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BY The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica | View Edit History
imitation, in psychology, the reproduction or performance of an act that is stimulated by the perception of a similar act by another animal or person. Essentially, it involves a model to which the attention and response of the imitator are directed.
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As a descriptive term, imitation covers a wide range of behaviour. In their native habitats, young mammals can be observed copying the activities of the older members of the species or the play of each other. Among human beings, imitation can include such everyday experiences as yawning when others yawn, a host of unconsciously and passively learned replications of social conduct, and the deliberate adoption of the ideas and habits of others.