Poster #95 - Selective Social Learning and Overimitation: Two Peas in a Pod?

• In Event: Poster Session 06

Abstract

Even young children use social learning, or the ability to learn from others’ actions, to make sense of the world. Two social learning strategies that both develop rapidly during the preschool period are selective social learning (i.e., the ability to choose who to learn new information from; Sobel & Finiasz, 2020) and overimitation (i.e., the tendency to copy goal-irrelevant actions; Hoehl et al., 2019). Previous research (e.g., Brosseau-Liard et al., 2015; Marsh et al., 2013) suggests that different mechanisms might underlie these skills, namely theory of mind (i.e., the ability to understand the mental states of others; Wellman, 2014) and social affiliation, respectively. To our knowledge, no study has compared performance on these two abilities in the same sample. Because early selective social learning is driven by social cues, and by epistemic cues later in childhood (Tong et al., 2020), we hypothesized that these abilities would initially be associated, but that this association would decrease with age. Based on previous research, we also hypothesized that performance on the selective social learning task would be more strongly related to theory of mind; and that overimitation would be more strongly related to social affiliation. To test these predictions, we conducted two experiments. In Experiment 1, we administered a selective word learning task (Resendes et al., 2021) and an overimitation task (Vivanti et al., 2017) with puppets via video-chat to a sample of eighty 3.5- and 5-year-old children. Parents filled out questionnaires measuring theory of mind (i.e., Children’s Social Understanding Scale; Tahiroglu et al., 2014) as well as affiliation, compliance, and prosocial skills (i.e., Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Goodman, 1997). Correlation and regression analyses revealed no association between the two tasks, nor between task performance and scores on the questionnaires. As the overimitation rate was very low, especially for the younger age group, we conducted a second experiment using the same procedures, but with human agents, with a sample of seventy-two 5-year-old children. Results showed an association between selective social learning and theory of mind, in line with our second hypothesis. Additionally, although no link was again found between scores on the overimitation task and on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, most children copied the irrelevant actions, suggesting that overimitation might indeed be related to social affiliation, as our participants more frequently imitated a human agent compared to a puppet agent. Future research should explore in more depth the underlying mechanisms of social learning in childhood, especially of overimitation, as it is one way through which we can perpetuate traditions and maintain cultural conventions.

Authors

• Marilyne Dragon, Concordia University
  Presenting Author

• Diane Poulin-Dubois, Concordia University