ABSTRACT
Newborn babies, as young as 0.7 to 71 hours of age, were able to imitate facial gestures of the adult demonstrator, such as mouth opening and tongue protrusion. Neonates at a mean age of 36 hours were able to imitate the adult’s model facial expressions such as a happy smile, sad protrusion of lips or opening of the mouth suggesting surprise. Babies between eight and nine months of age were able to imitate the movements of the demonstrator even when their own movements were not visible to them. The aggressive behavior of 3 to 5-year-old children was increased after a projection of a film in which aggression was rewarded; on the other hand, aggressive behavior was decreased after showing the film in which aggression was punished. Statistical analyses of suicide attempts and completed suicides showed that a television broadcast showing a story about suicide often led to a rise in the number of suicides.
