ABSTRACT
The propensity to ‘overimitate’ – replicating actions that are causally unnecessary and overtly redundant – is an early developing behaviour, unique to humans. While the underlying reasons we exhibit overimitation are still debated, it is likely to facilitate rapid acquisition of difficult-to-learn skills, and to help individuals integrate within their specific social environments. Much work has shown that the developmental path of overimitation appears to follow a linear trajectory; the propensity to reproduce unnecessary actions emerges at around three years of age and increases throughout childhood, with some studies even reporting that adults display higher rates of overimitation than children. Recently, however, studies have shown that this trajectory is influenced by both contextual factors and individual differences. Extrinsic factors such as the way the task is framed, the presence or absence and characteristics of the demonstrator(s) and intrinsic individual differences such as sex, cultural background and personality may contribute to children’s propensity to faithfully copy others. In this chapter we will explore the interplay between contextual factors, individual differences and overimitation across childhood, and reflect upon how the seemingly clear trajectory of overimitation from childhood to adulthood appears to be dependent on a range of contextual and individual factors.
