Dissecting the imitation faculty: the multiple imitation mechanisms (MIM) hypothesis.

Is the imitation faculty one self-contained domain-general mechanism or an amalgamation of multiple content-specific systems? The multiple imitation mechanisms (MIM) hypothesis posits that the imitation faculty consists of distinct content-specific psychological systems that are dissociable both structurally and functionally. This hypothesis is supported by research in the developmental, cognitive, comparative and neural sciences. This body of work suggests that there are dissociable imitation systems that may be distinguished by unique behavioral and neurobiological profiles. The distribution of these different imitation skills in the animal kingdom further suggests a phylogenetic dissociation, whereby some animals specialized in some (but not all possible) imitation types; a reflection of specific selection pressures favoring certain imitation systems. The MIM hypothesis attempts to bring together these different areas of research into one theoretical framework that defines imitation both functionally and structurally. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.