¿Puede la pertenencia al grupo explicar la paradoja de la imitación? Fidelidad y flexibilidad, dos características del aprendizaje cultural

• Villada Zapata, Johny ^[1] ; Felipe Velasquez, Juan ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Antioquia

     Universidad de Antioquia

     Colombia

     
• Localización: Electronic journal of research in educational psychology, ISSN-e 1696-2095, Vol. 21, Nº. 61 (Diciembre), 2023, págs. 619-644
• Idioma: español
• DOI: 10.25115/ejrep.v21i61.7785
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Can group membership explain the paradox of imitation? Fidelity and flexibility, two characteristics of cultural learning
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    Introducción.  La paradoja de la imitación ocurre cuando los niños a veces imitan a otros de forma selectiva y racional, y a veces sobreimitan, es decir, copian las acciones causalmente irrelevantes. Este fenómeno sigue presentándose durante la adultez y se cree que esta característica diferencia el aprendizaje social humano del no-humano; por lo tanto, podríamos entender la transmisión cultural de información a través de él. Este estudio buscó determinar los efectos de la pertenencia al grupo –el grupo social al que pertenece el sujeto– en la conducta imitativa de niños de 2.5, 4 y 6 años.

    Método.  Se implementó un diseño 3x3 con análisis intergrupal e intrasujeto, donde se compararon los tres rangos de edad, y cada niño pasó por tres condiciones experimentales: endogrupo (el participante y el experimentador pertenecen al mismo grupo), exogrupo (participante y experimentador pertenecen a dos grupos distintos) y neutro (el participante no tiene información sobre el grupo al que pertenece el experimentador). Se evaluaron 172 niños (85 niñas, 49,4%).

    Resultados. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la imitación según la edad y la pertenencia al grupo; además, estas diferencias incluyen aumento en la fidelidad de la imitación, y la consolidación de la flexibilidad en la conducta imitativa, que permite a los niños adaptarse a diferentes contextos.

    Discusión y conclusiones.  Se concluye que la imitación en los niños más grandes no solo es más fiel, sino también más flexible a los contextos y más sensible a variables de esos contextos. Estos cambios indican la necesidad de entender la imitación desde una perspectiva amplia de aprendizaje cultural, lo cual puede aportar a la elaboración de diversas y más eficientes prácticas pedagógicas durante la educación en la infancia.

  • English

    Introduction: The imitation paradox occurs when children sometimes selectively and rationally imitate others, and sometimes over-imitate, that is, copy causally irrelevant actions. This phenomenon continues throughout adulthood and it is believed that this feature differentiates human from non-human social learning; therefore, we could understand the cultural transmission of information through it. This study sought to determine the effects of belonging to the group –the social group to which the subject belongs– on the imitative behavior of children aged 2.5, 4 and 6 years.  Method:  A 3x3 design with intergroup and intrasubject analysis was implemented, where the three age ranges were compared, and each child underwent three experimental conditions: ingroup (participant and experimenter belong to the same group), outgroup (participant and experimenter belong to differents groups), and neutral (participant does not have information about the experimenter group). 172 children (85 girls, 49.4%) were evaluated.

    Results: Statistically significant differences were found in imitation according to age and group membership; In addition, these differences include an increase in the fidelity of imitation, and the consolidation of flexibility in imitative behavior, which allows children to adapt to different contexts.

      Discussion or Conclusion: It is concluded that imitation in older children is not only more faithful, but also more flexible to contexts and more sensitive to variables in those contexts. These changes indicate the need to understand imitation from a broad perspective of cultural learning, which contributes to the elaboration of more diverse and efficient pedagogical practices in preschool education.

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