Even at a very young age, infants can learn from the example their parents demonstrate. A study conducted by the University of Washington discovered that imitation is a baby’s natural instinct to learn by carefully watching others. According the the article submitted by the San Francisco Globe, when babies observe their surroundings and caregiver, it activates a babies brain, priming it to learn through observation and imitation of behavior.
Imitation is a newborns best form of social and emotional bonding with their caregiver. Infants see themselves as an extension of their caregivers. It is not until later in their development that they learn autonomy and independence from their caregivers. Imitation helps babies to learn fundamental skills like speech and social skills to interact with the world around them in an appropriate way. Because babies are great imitators, it is no surprise that the video shared by the San Francisco Globe is a perfect example of imitation at its best.
A father, left at home alone with his infant twins who appear to be maybe 4 months of age, shows how influential imitation is as a learning tool. In the video, the father lays his twins on a towel as though he is going to give them a diaper change. Instead, he plays a hilarious game of “monkey see, monkey do” to the tune of what sounds like polka music. When the music begins, the father begins marking to the beat and the twins follow his lead. The music stops and the twins stop with him.
The father continues this game for a few minutes and each time, the twins follow his lead. The twins’ reaction to their father’s dancing is a great example of how easily infants are influenced by their caregivers at such a young age.