PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A first step in learning by imitation, baby brains respond to another's actions

2013-10-31
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Molly McElroy
mollywmc@uw.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
A first step in learning by imitation, baby brains respond to another's actions

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery for adults, but for babies it's their foremost tool for learning. As renowned people-watchers, babies often observe others demonstrate how to do things and then copy those body movements. It's how little ones know, usually without explicit instructions, to hold a toy phone to the ear or guide a spoon to the mouth.

Now researchers from the University of Washington and Temple University have found the first evidence revealing a key aspect of the brain processing that occurs in babies to allow this learning by observation.

The findings, published online Oct. 30 by PLOS ONE, are the first to show that babies' brains showed specific activation patterns when an adult performed a task with different parts of her body. When 14-month-old babies simply watched an adult use her hand to touch a toy, the hand area of the baby's brain lit up. When another group of infants watched an adult touch the toy using only her foot, the foot area of the baby's brain showed more activity.

"Babies are exquisitely careful people-watchers, and they're primed to learn from others," said Andrew Meltzoff, co-author and co-director of the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. "And now we see that when babies watch someone else, it activates their own brains. This study is a first step in understanding the neuroscience of how babies learn through imitation."

The study took advantage of how the brain is organized. The sensory and motor area of the cortex, the outer portion of the brain known for its creased appearance, is arranged by body part with each area of the body represented in identifiable neural real estate. Prick your finger, stick out your tongue, or kick a ball and distinct areas of the brain light up according to a somatotopic map.

Other studies show that adults show this somatotopic brain activation while watching someone else use different body parts, suggesting that adults understand the actions of others in relation to their own bodies. The researchers wondered whether the same would be true in babies.

The 70 infants in the study wore electroencephalogram, or EEG, caps with embedded sensors that detected brain activity in the regions of the cortex that respond to movement or touch of the feet and hands. Sitting on a parent's lap, each baby watched as an experimenter touched a toy placed on a low table between the baby and the experimenter.

The toy had a clear plastic dome and was mounted on a sturdy base. When the experimenter pressed the dome with her hand or foot, music played and confetti in the dome spun. The experimenter repeated the action – taking breaks after every four presses – until the baby lost interest.

"Our findings show that when babies see others produce actions with a particular body part, their brains are activated in a corresponding way," said Joni Saby, lead author and a psychology graduate student at Temple University in Philadelphia. "This mapping may facilitate imitation and could play a role in the baby's ability to then produce the same actions themselves."

One of the basics for babies to learn is how to copy what they see adults do. In other words, they must first know that it is indeed their hand and not their foot, mouth or other body part that is needed.

The new study shows that babies' brains are organized in a somatotopic way that helps crack the interpersonal code. The connection between doing and seeing actions maps hand to hand, foot to foot, all before they can name those body parts through language.

"The reason this is exciting is that it gives insight into a crucial aspect of imitation," said co-author Peter Marshall, an associate psychology professor at Temple University. "To imitate the action of another person, babies first need to register what body part the other person used. Our findings suggest that babies do this in a particular way by mapping the actions of the other person onto their own body."

Meltzoff added, "The neural system of babies directly connects them to other people, which jump-starts imitation and social-emotional connectedness and bonding. Babies look at you and see themselves."



INFORMATION:



The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation funded the study.

For more information, contact Meltzoff at 206-685-2045 or meltzoff@uw.edu; Marshall at 215-204-5744 or pjmarsh@temple.edu; or Saby at tuc12333@temple.edu.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Incurable brain cancer gene is silenced

2013-10-31
Incurable brain cancer gene is silenced Gene regulation technology increases survival rates in mice with glioblastoma Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the brain cancer that killed Sen. Edward Kennedy and kills approximately 13,000 Americans a year, is aggressive ...

Staph infections and eczema: What's the connection?

2013-10-31
Staph infections and eczema: What's the connection? New U-M-led research in animals pinpoints molecule from bacteria that may play key role in prompting skin inflammation &#8211 and could be a target for treatment ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the millions ...

Listen up: Oysters may use sound to select a home

2013-10-31
Listen up: Oysters may use sound to select a home Oysters begin their lives as tiny drifters, but when they mature they settle on reefs. New research from North Carolina State University shows that the sounds of the reef may attract the young oysters, ...

Silent victims -- an epidemic of childhood exposure

2013-10-31
Silent victims -- an epidemic of childhood exposure Over 15 million children are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) each year, and the health consequences of this exposure are well-documented. The Institute of Medicine and the United States ...

Scientists call for action to tackle 'alarmingly' low survival of Kenyan women with cervical cancer

2013-10-31
Scientists call for action to tackle 'alarmingly' low survival of Kenyan women with cervical cancer Less than 7% of cervical cancer patients in Kenya are getting the optimum treatment needed to eradicate the disease, leading to unnecessary ...

Researchers discover that an exoplanet is Earth-like in mass and size

2013-10-31
Researchers discover that an exoplanet is Earth-like in mass and size CAMBRIDGE, MA -- In August, MIT researchers identified an exoplanet with an extremely brief orbital period: The team found that Kepler 78b, a small, intensely hot planet 400 light-years ...

Gladstone scientists identify molecular signals that rouse dormant HIV infection

2013-10-31
Gladstone scientists identify molecular signals that rouse dormant HIV infection Activating dormant virus key to purging viral infection and developing a cure for HIV/AIDS SAN FRANCISCO, CA—October 30, 2013—Perhaps the single greatest barrier to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS ...

Is medical education in a bubble market?

2013-10-31
Is medical education in a bubble market? Lowering the cost of health care requires lowering the cost of medical education PHILADELPHIA – The costs of medical education must be reduced as part of efforts to reign in health care ...

New experiments reveal the types of bacteria involved in human decomposition

2013-10-31
New experiments reveal the types of bacteria involved in human decomposition A new field of forensic science turns its attention to bacteria The type of bacteria involved in human decomposition can change over time, according to new research published October 30th ...

Listening to music before you're even born may boost your auditory system

2013-10-31
Listening to music before you're even born may boost your auditory system Prenatal music exposure leads to long-lasting changes in the brain after birth Playing music while you're pregnant may influence your child's auditory system, according to new research published ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] A first step in learning by imitation, baby brains respond to another's actions