从“变色龙效应”到“镜像神经元”再到“模仿过多症”--作为社会交流产物的人类无意识模仿

From "Chameleon effect" to "Mirror Neurons" and to "Echopraxia": Human Mimicry Comes from Social Interaction

人类无意识模仿是指人们在社会交流时会相互无意识地模仿对方的一些动作、表情和行为方式。其在个体社会认知以及人际交流上扮演着重要的角色。通过回顾近十年来人类无意识模仿的各个领域内的研究进展,以及分析无意识模仿的行为学效应,脑神经机制以及病理学调控,可以得出如下结论:所有神经层面以及行为层面的人类无意识模仿现象都是社会交流的产物。该观点在澄清无意识模仿神经机制以及促进幼儿社会认知发展方面具有一定启示意义,而探索孤独症患者无意识模仿障碍的病理机制有望为该领域的未来研究开启新的方向。

Mimicry refers to the unconscious imitation of other people’s behavior. It facilitates social interaction and plays a key role in one’s cognitive and social development. Converging evidences in cognitive neuroscience reveal that the neural mechanism of mimicry is based on mirror neuron system. Neuropsychological research suggests that clinical mimicry disorders such as echopraxia arise from the dysfunctional control of this system. As both the formation of mirror neurons and the control of mimicry are crucially driven by social interaction, here it is concluded that human mimicry is the product of social interaction. This point of view helps us better understand the ontogeny of mimicry in both neural and behavioral level and sheds light on the practical approaches to improve infant’s social and cognitive development. Finally, implications for the research of autism are discussed.