The Influence of Individual Difference in Automatic Imitation Tendency on Efficiency in Observational Learning

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the influence of individual differences in the automatic imitation tendency on efficiency in observational motor learning. First, twenty participants each having higher or lower automatic imitation tendency were chosen from 210 according to their reaction times in the imitation-inhibition task indicating automatic imitation tendency. Each group performed the observational motor learning that alternately repeated action observation and execution. The participants in each group were further divided into two groups: appropriate model group that observed a model performing the task correctly and inappropriate model group that observed a model performing the task incorrectly. Results revealed that when participants observed the appropriate model, people with higher imitation tendency demonstrated better task performance in the acquisition phase and retention test than did those with a lower imitation tendency. On the other hand, when the participants observed the inappropriate model, the higher imitation tendency group exhibited lower performance in the acquisition phase and the retention test than did the lower imitation tendency group. Additionally, the higher tendency group was more influenced by difference between the appropriate and inappropriate model than was the lower tendency group in learning efficiency. These findings indicate that individual differences in the automatic imitation tendency affect the learning efficiency and retention in observational motor learning. Further, automatic imitation is likely to have a strong influence on observational motor learning regardless of the learners’ intention.