The relation between temperament and imitation in the second year of life.

模仿是人类的一种基本能力，它可以传播大量的文化知识。通过模仿获得知识是一种重要的学习机制，因为它比通过试错获得知识更快，风险更小。此外，模仿允许一种非语言的方式与他人互动和交流。研究模仿的发展已成为发展心理学的一个热点。模仿任务的表现主要是在认知发展的背景下解释的，这表明在具有相同认知发展水平的婴儿中，模仿的概率是相等的。与此相反，实证研究结果表明，具有相同认知发展水平的婴儿在模仿能力上存在显著的个体差异。以往关于模仿的研究很少关注社会互动和交流在模仿中的作用。在幼儿中，气质描述了参与社会交往的倾向。注意力和注意力分散是模仿任务中对目标动作进行感知和编码的基础。接近和回避受气质维度的影响，如社交性，害羞和行为抑制，对模仿行为有明显的后果。在这个纵向项目中，我们将调查气质和模仿之间的关系，在第二年的生活。因此，我们将通过标准化测试评估气质、认知发展水平和模仿能力。气质将通过观察实验室中的行为以及对父母的问卷调查来评估。认知发育水平将通过Bayley婴幼儿发育量表进行测量。模仿将通过法兰克福模仿测试进行评估。此外，我们将使用眼动追踪，以跟踪幼儿在模仿测试中观察目标动作时的注视行为。为了检测气质与模仿之间关系的稳定性和可塑性，我们将进行一项纵向研究，其中一个队列的儿童年龄为12，18，24个月的测试。这些结果通过关注认知和社会发展的各个方面，从而解释了模仿中超越一般认知发展水平的差异，扩展了我们对幼儿模仿的认识。

Imitation is a fundamental human ability that allows the transmission of a large range of cultural knowledge. Acquiring knowledge via imitation is an important learning mechanism because it is faster and less risky than acquiring knowledge via trial and error. Furthermore, imitation allows a non-verbal way of interacting and communicating with others. Investigating the development of imitation has become a hot topic in developmental psychology. The performance in imitation tasks has been predominantly interpreted in the context of a cognitive development which suggests that the probability of imitation is equal in infants with the same level of cognitive development. In contrast, empirical findings show substantial interindividual differences in imitative abilities in infants with the same level of cognitive development. Previous research on imitation has paid little attention to the role of social interaction and communication in imitation. In young children, temperament describes the disposition to engage in social interaction. The temperament dimensions attention and distractibility which are the foundation of perceiving and encoding target action in imitation tasks. Approach and avoidance are influenced by temperament dimension like sociability, shyness and behavioral inhibition that have obvious consequences for imitative behavior. In this longitudinal project, we will investigate the relation between temperament and imitation in the second year of life. Therefore, we will assess temperament, the level of cognitive development, and imitation with standardized tests. Temperament will be assessed by observing the behavior in the laboratory as well as by questionnaires for parents. The level of cognitive development will be measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Imitation will be assessed via the Frankfurt Imitation Test. Furthermore, we will use eye tracking in order to follow the young children*s looking behavior when observing the target action in the imitation test. In order to detect the stability and plasticity of the relation between temperament and imitation, we will conduct a longitudinal study in which one cohort of children aged 12, 18, and 24 months are tested. These results expand our knowledge about young children*s imitation by focusing on various aspects of the cognitive as well as of the social development and, thus, by explaining differences in imitation beyond the general level of cognitive development.