Product Cover

Imitation and the Social Mind

Autism and Typical Development

Edited by Sally J. Rogers and Justin H. G. Williams

Hardcover
Hardcover
May 25, 2006
ISBN 9781593853112
Price: $79.00
466 Pages
Size: 6⅛" x 9¼"
6 Color Figures
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From earliest infancy, a typically developing child imitates or mirrors the facial expressions, postures and gestures, and emotional behavior of others. Where does this capacity come from, and what function does it serve? What happens when imitation is impaired? Synthesizing cutting-edge research emerging from a range of disciplines, this important book examines the role of imitation in both autism and typical development. Topics include the neural and evolutionary bases of imitation, its pivotal connections to language development and relationships, and how early imitative deficits in autism might help explain the more overt social and communication problems of older children and adults.

“A book that should grace the shelves of anyone interested in normal or abnormal human development, including of course researchers and clinicians involved in and experts in social learning and imitation....An extremely welcome addition to a rapidly growing literature on imitation....What makes this particular edited volume unique and important is the focus upon one disorder, , and the important insights that the imitative performance of children with offers to our understanding of typical development and the phenomenon of imitation in its own right. The individual contributions are consistently excellent and thought provoking. Nearly every chapter ends in a very useful concluding section that lists further questions that need to be addressed....Such an excellent volume will no doubt act as a catalyst in stimulating further vital research.”

Autism


“Editors Sally J. Rogers and Justin H. G. Williams have given the field what promises to be the definitive work in this very complex area.”

PsycCRITIQUES


“The importance of imitation as a fundamental component of social communication, and of its failure in autism, cannot be overstated. This is why imitation is one of the most active research themes in social-cognitive neuroscience. The leading researchers in the field have contributed to this volume, which is vital reading for all those currently trying to understand the social mind in both typical and atypical development.”

—Uta Frith, PhD, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University College London, UK


“Truly an outstanding achievement! This unique volume brings together the world's foremost developmental psychologists, clinicians, and neuroscientists studying social cognition to provide critical, in-depth, and fresh perspectives on a topic that has captured the interest of philosophers and scientists for centuries. After reading the book, one appreciates more than ever how studies of typical and atypical populations mutually enhance our understanding of development. Scientists and practitioners alike will value this exceptional book.”

—Geraldine Dawson, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director, Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University


“This outstanding volume brings together developmental and neurobiological research on the central role of imitation in the development of empathy, theory of mind, language, and social-affective reciprocity. The editors have brought together leading researchers whose work focuses on foundational aspects of imitation in typically and atypically developing children. The broad scope of this volume provides new theoretical insights on the neurocognitive mechanisms involved in imitation processes, highlighting the significance of the child’s interactions with others. A timely publication, the book is likely to stimulate renewed interest in imitation and generate investigations into novel therapeutic approaches for children with autism and related disorders. It should be required reading for anyone interested in basic and clinical perspectives on social development.”

—Helen Tager-Flusberg, PhD, Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience, Boston University School of Medicine

Table of Contents

I. Imitation in Typical Development

1. Studies of Imitation in Early Infancy: Findings and Theories, Sally J. Rogers

2. Vocal and Action Imitation by Infants and Toddlers during Dyadic Interactions: Development, Causes, and Consequences, Elise Frank Masur

3. Instrumental, Social, and Shared Goals and Intentions in Imitation, Malinda Carpenter

4. Mimicry and Autism: Bases and Consequences of Rapid, Automatic Matching Behavior, Eric J. Moody and Daniel N. McIntosh

5. Imitation and the Development of Language, Tony Charman

6. Does Imitation Matter to Children with Autism?, Jacqueline Nadel

7. Imitation and Self-Recognition in Autism: In Search of an Explanation, Mark Nielsen, Thomas Suddendorf, and Cheryl Dissanayake

8. Imitation, Theory of Mind, and Cultural Knowledge: Perspectives from Typical Development and Autism, Eva Loth and Juan Carlos Gómez

9. Imitation, Identification, and the Shaping of Mind: Insights from Autism, Peter Hobson and Jessica Meyer

II. Evolutionary and Neural Bases of Imitation

10. The Dissection of Imitation and Its "Cognitive Kin" in Comparative and Developmental Psychology, Andrew Whiten

11. A Cognitive Neuroscience View of Imitation, Jean Decety

III. Imitation in Autism and Other Clinical Groups: Biobehavioral Findings and Clinical Implications

12. Imitation in Autism: Findings and Controversies, Sally J. Rogers and Justin H. G. Williams

13. Longitudinal Research on Motor Imitation in Autism, Susan L. Hepburn and Wendy L. Stone

14. Measuring the Development of Motor-Control Processes, Mark Mon-Williams and James R. Tresilian

15. Neuroimaging Self-Other Mapping in Autism, Justin H. G. Williams and Gordon D. Waiter

16. Assessment of Imitation Abilities in Autism: Conceptual and Methodological Issues, Isabel M. Smith, Crystal Lowe-Pearce, and Shana L. Nichols

17. The Effect of Motor Disorders on Imitation in Children, Deborah Dewey and Shauna Bottos

18. Conclusions, Bruce F. Pennington, Justin H. G. Williams, and Sally J. Rogers


About the Editors

Sally J. Rogers, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis. Her work in autism represents a lifetime interest in developmental disabilities. Dr. Rogers's research on imitation in autism grew out of her clinical and research experiences while Professor of Psychiatry at JFK Partners at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She was intrigued by the puzzling lack of normal mirroring and coordination with others' movements, gestures, and emotional displays that she experienced during interactions with children and adults with autism. This set in motion a line of studies focused on imitation problems in autism, and the creation of interventions to promote social responsivity and communication development.

Justin H. G. Williams, MRCPsych, commenced his scientific career in 1993, studying ecology and evolutionary biology before pursuing postgraduate training in psychiatry. He specialized in child psychiatry and moved to Scotland, where he started working with Andrew Whiten and David Perrett from the University of St. Andrews. Together, they considered the relationship of imitation to autism at a time when "mirror neurons" were a new phenomenon. In 2000 Dr. Williams became Senior Lecturer in Child Psychiatry, University of Aberdeen, where he has developed a research program to understand the neural substrate of autism. He also serves as Honorary Consultant in Child Psychiatry at Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital.

Contributors

Shauna Bottos, BA, Behavioral Research Unit, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Malinda Carpenter, PhD, Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany

Tony Charman, PhD, Behavioral and Brain Sciences Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom

Jean Decety, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Deborah Dewey, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Behavioral Research Unit, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Cheryl Dissanayake, PhD, School of Psychological Science, LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Juan Carlos Gómez, PhD, School of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Susan L. Hepburn, PhD, Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado

Peter Hobson, PhD, FRCPsych, Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, Tavistock Clinic, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom

Eva Loth, PhD, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

Crystal Lowe-Pearce, MA, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Elise Frank Masur, PhD, Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois

Daniel N. McIntosh, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

Jessica Meyer, PhD, Developmental Psychopathology Research Unit, Tavistock Clinic, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom

Mark Mon-Williams, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland

Eric J. Moody, MA, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

Jacqueline Nadel, PhD, Laboratory of Vulnerability, Adaptation, and Psychopathology, Pierre & Marie Curie University, Paris, France; Hôpital de La Salpêtrière, Paris, France

Shana L. Nichols, PhD, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Bethpage, New York

Mark Nielsen, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

Bruce F. Pennington, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

Sally J. Rogers, PhD, MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, California

Isabel M. Smith, PhD, Department of Pediatrics and Psychology, Dalhousie

University, and IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Wendy L. Stone, PhD, The Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Center for Child Development, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee

Thomas Suddendorf, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

James R. Tresilian, PhD, Perception and Motor Systems Laboratory, School of Human Movement Studies, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

Gordon D. Waiter, PhD, Department of Radiology, University of Aberdeen Medical School, Aberdeen, Scotland

Andrew Whiten, PhD, FRSE, FBA, School of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Justin H. G. Williams, MRCPsych, Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen Medical School, Aberdeen, Scotland

Audience

Developmental psychologists, cognitive neuroscientists, researchers in infancy and developmental psychopathology, child psychologists and psychiatrists, and other child health and education professionals interested in developmental disabilities.

Course Use

May serve as a text in graduate-level courses on autism, infant development, and social cognitive neuroscience.