Infants mimic unusual behavior when accompanied by language
Monday, November 12, 2012 - 14:50
in Psychology & Sociology
A new study shows the power of language in infants' ability to understand the intentions of others. The results, based on two experiments, show that introducing a novel word for the impending novel event had a powerful effect on the infants' tendency to imitate the behavior. Infants were more likely to imitate behavior, however unconventional, if it had been named, than if it remained unnamed, the study shows.