Section 5, Chapter 5 -- Learning though Imitation

"What you see is what you do" seems like a basic capability that can be observed over many species. Imitation is a copy of behaviour, so the behaviour is not identical but similar.

• The previous chapter assumed that the action sequence was already existing in memory, and that learning consists in applying it in appropriate circumstances.
• The present chapter examines how a new action sequences might be added to the repertoire of an individual - by copying it from someone else through imitation
• Imitation is a way of learning a new action sequence that can later be repeated without the presence of the mentor or model.
• Imitation arises when the young copy the action sequences of the parent, or the apprentice copies the actions of the master.

Imitation can involve different modalities, such as listening to someone and trying to mimick his accent or his style of singing. We shall focus on visual perception influencing bodily action.

Imitation is a very basic approach to learning action-sequences, where the student watches the mentor perform the action and then tries to duplicate the same action sequence. We use it in apprenticeship, in learning how to dance or play tennis, and for many other activities. Follow the leader, going on ward round in the hospital, and imprinting are variants on this pattern.

We shall do the information processing analysis by following an example that we can illustrate visually, chosen from fitness classes. By following this example we can imaging the information processing that must be involved. This is the first time that we actually invoke the "inner language" hypothesis.