Framing Transnational Human Resource Management of Nurse Labour
Tricia Cleland Silva in Transnational Management and Globalised Workers, 2018
De Cieri et al. (2007) use the critical perspective of postcolonialism to highlight that IHRM deserves theoretical disputation and that take-for-granted assumptions in the practice should be problematised and questioned. They argue that these assumptions have a direct effect on thoughts and behaviours, which can lead to ‘isomorphism’ in the description and assessment of IHRM theory and practice. De Cieri et al. (2007) further their argument by using what they term ‘imitation’, drawing highly from Bhabha’s (1994) terms of mimicry and hybridity. Imitation is ‘the copying of another’s form, practice or claim to legitimacy’ (293). This would direct the analysis to how and why existing practices and disciplines are adopted and adapted and, in turn, highlight what is being taken for granted rather than subsuming ‘other’ past or present differences (ibid).
The Look of Eye Contact
Michael van Manen in Phenomenology of the Newborn, 2018
Extensive literature has explored the phenomenon of visual imitation in newborns with the strongest evidence describing newborns having the capacity to imitate facial gestures like tongue protrusion or mouth opening (Meltzoff, 1999; Meltzoff & Moore, 1977). Other behaviors such as lip pursing, head turning, and finger movements have also been reported (Jones, 2017). The constatation is that imitation is the possibility for “absorbing the expressions and gestures of the other into the movements of our own body” (Wider, 1999, p. 204). In such situations, consciousness is bodily without necessarily being self-reflective, meaning the newborn imitates actions without being able to see itself perform (tongue protrusion, mouth opening, or other imitated behaviors). The mirror neuron hypothesis is the prominent theory on infant imitation (Gallese et al., 1996). Mirror neurons are essentially brain cells that are active both in situations of observed action and action performance. It has been speculated, therefore, that newborns possibly experience others’ facial expressions or imitated movements as their own (Simpson et al., 2014). Yet, the mirror neuron hypothesis by no means explains all infant behaviors. For example, infants sometimes imitate gestures that were remotely observed, overriding current views (Meltzoff & Moore, 1997).
Giacomo Rizzolatti (b. 1937)
Andrew P. Wickens in Key Thinkers in Neuroscience, 2018
In 2001, Rizzolatti greatly broadened the concept of mirror neurons when he proposed that they are not only involved in recognising the actions of others but also in understanding the goal of an observed behaviour. Thus, in his view, mirror neurons are not just capable of mimicry but are also in assessing why an action is taking place. This now strongly implicated mirror neurons as a vital component of intelligence along with many other types of cognate human behaviour. One obvious role for mirror neurons in this respect was imitation learning, which is particularly vital in child development, including play behaviour, the acquisition of language and social interaction. In fact, Rizzolatti would claim that, thanks to this mirror mechanism, overt actions undertaken by other individuals become messages that are intuitively understood by an observer without any cognitive mediation being necessary. This theory has generated much research and several findings support the idea. For example, it has been demonstrated that human infants as young as 2 weeks old will imitate an adult who sticks their tongue out at them (Meltzolf and Moore 1977), a finding that appears to back up Rizzolatti’s claim.
Teaching children with autism to tie their shoes using video prompt-models and backward chaining
Published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2019
Philip R. Richard, George H. Noell
Learning via observation and imitation is a fundamental part of development. 1,2,3,4 The acquisition of skills as divergent as writing and social interaction is largely dependent on these two abilities for typically developing children. Imitation can be defined as reproducing the observed action of another whether that action is motor or vocal.5,6 The prevalence rates for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased over the years and these children typically possess significant deficits in their imitation abilities.7–10 This difficulty in imitation can make it extremely challenging for a child with ASD to learn new skills. Video-based interventions (VBI) have been suggested as a potential treatment modality for teaching children with ASD due to the idea that the video presentation better facilitate the imitation process.11 In particular, video-based models and prompts may be more compelling for some children so that they are more likely to attend and they can be carefully standardized to assure the most critical elements of the behavior are consistently salient.
Using Behavioral Approaches to Assess Memory, Imitation and Motor Performance in Children with Angelman Syndrome: Results of a Pilot Study
Published in Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2019
Impaired motor and gestural imitation has also been identified in children with AS.17,18,34,35 Imitation involves the ability to replicate an observed behavior and is an important learning strategy through which children acquire and master new skills and behaviors. Bodily imitation involves generating gestures and facial expressions matching that of another person and is important for social interaction and social behavior. Procedural imitation on the other hand involves copying actions on objects and is implicated in instrumental behavior such as performing life skills.36 Jolleff and Ryan28 found that only the children in their study with “familial AS” (having presumably less severe non-deletion forms of AS such as mutations of UBE-3A or imprinting center defects that are inherited from the mother32) were able to imitate motor actions such as clapping and waving. The possibility that children with AS have difficulties with motor planning and execution has been raised.25,32
Sympathetic Understanding
Published in Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 2021
Finnbogason’s suggestion that imitation contributes to motor learning, language development, and cognitive development remains intriguing but incompletely studied (Valentine 1930). In later unpublished lectures in 1922, Finnbogason discussed his observations on his own children, noting that they could imitate facial gestures (sticking out the tongue) as early as 23 days after birth. Subsequent studies, decades after Finnbogason’s death, showed that infants between 12 and 21 days old can imitate both facial and manual gestures, a phenomenon that is not explained by either conditioning or innate releasing mechanisms (Meltzoff and Moore 1977). Imitation behavior applies to a wide range of motor mimicry, social cognition, social interaction, and such phenomena as contagious yawning, contagious laughter, and sympathetic coughing among audience members during performances.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Adaptation
- Animal
- Consciousness
- Heredity
- Subconscious
- Idea
- Infant
- Gesture
- Maladaptation
- Knowledge