Imitation guides the behaviour of a range of species. Scientific advances in the study of imitation at multiple levels from neurons to behaviour have far-reaching implications for cognitive science, neuroscience, and evolutionary and developmental psychology. This volume, first published in 2002, provides a summary of the research on imitation in both Europe and America, including work on infants, adults, and nonhuman primates, with speculations about robotics. A special feature of the book is that it provides a concrete instance of the links between developmental psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science. It showcases how an interdisciplinary approach to imitation can illuminate long-standing problems in the brain sciences, including consciousness, self, perception-action coding, theory of mind, and intersubjectivity. The book addresses what it means to be human and how we get that way.

Review of the hardback:'Most of the book's merit is in the chapters themselves, most of which are skillfully written such that their relevance goes beyond the limits of the discipline at hand and illuminates issues relevant to neighboring disciplines as well. The two editors are leading figures in the fields of developmental and experimental psychology, and their respective research contributions blend well conceptually.'

Source: Nature Neuroscience

Review of the hardback:'Despite the variety of disciplines and viewpoints represented, the editors, Meltzoff and Prinz, were able to foster a strong sense of coherency by encouraging the authors to make strategic cross-references to each other's papers. Without exception the essays are rich in empirical data. Experiments are viewed, and in a few cases previously unpublished experiments are discussed.'

Source: Infant and Child Development