Lecture 8

Lecture 8

1. Imitation

   • We tend to copy the actions of others
   • Measuring imitation: the 'chameleon effect'
     • Chartrand and Bargh, (1999)
     • Measuring 'automatic' imitation
       • Reaction times on compatable trials are faster than incompatible trials

2. Why do we imitate?

   • Imitation as a 'social glue'
     • Imitation is perceived as positive
       • In the lab and the real world
         • Catmur and Heyes, 2013
   • Strategic and social goals
     • Are we biased to learn from others?
       • How do these biases occur?
     • Heyes, 2012
       • Tend to use social learning in situations when we are uncertain
         • High prediciton errror= more learning
         • Copy the majority
           • Copy successful individuals

3. How do we imitate?

   • Innate?
   • Learned?
     • Principles of learning theory can address this debate
     • Heyes et al, 2005
       • Conclusion: associative learning can shape imitation
         • Criticism: learning may end up associating everything with everything

4. Contingency

   • Associative learning depends on the contingency- the predictive relationship between events
     • Hammond (1980)
     • Not just on things happening at the same time
     • Cook et al, 2010 supports this
     • Context dependency
       • Associative learning is context dependence
         • Cook et al, 2012

5. Neurobiology and personality

   • Evolution and Emotion
   • Behavioural Genetics
     • Twins
     • Genome Wide Complex Trait Analysis
       • Confirmed twin studies findings
       • But only capture additive genetic effects
     • Polygenic Model
       • Many genes contributing to a trait

6. Animal Personality

   • Pavlov's dog- personality
     • Personality effect the learning of the dog's
   • Sam Gosling
   • Why study animal personality? (Gosling and Harely, 2009)

7. Research tools:

   • Neuroscience techniques
   • facial elecromypgraphy (EMG)
   • Neuropsychology
   • Startle effects