Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39884989›Full record

ArticleBehavior research methods2025

Validation of an online imitation-inhibition task.

Mareike Westfal, Emiel Cracco, Jan Crusius, Oliver Genschow

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Behavior research methods, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mareike WestfalLeuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany.
Emiel CraccoGhent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Jan CrusiusUniversity of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Oliver GenschowLeuphana University Lueneburg, Lueneburg, Germany. oliver.genschow@leuphana.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

People automatically imitate a wide range of different behaviors. One of the most commonly used measurement methods to assess imitative behavior is the imitation-inhibition task (Brass et al., 2000). A disadvantage of its original form is, however, that it was validated for laboratory settings-a time-consuming and costly procedure. Here, we present an approach for conducting the imitation-inhibition task in online settings. We programmed the online version of the imitation-inhibition task in JavaScript and implemented the task in online survey software (i.e., Qualtrics). We validated the task in four experiments. Experiment 1 (N = 88) showed that the typical automatic imitation effects can be detected with good psychometric properties. Going one step further, Experiment 2 (N = 182) directly compared the online version of the imitation-inhibition task with its laboratory version and demonstrated that the online version produces similar strong and reliable effects. In Experiments 3 and 4, we assessed typical moderator effects that were previously reported in laboratory settings: Experiment 3 (N = 93) demonstrated that automatic imitation can be reliably detected in online settings even when controlling for spatial compatibility. Experiment 4 (N = 104) found, in line with previous research, that individuals imitate hand movements executed by a robot less strongly than movements executed by a human. Taken together, the results show that the online version of the imitation-inhibition task offers an easy-to-use method that enables the measurement of automatic imitation with common online survey software tools in a reliable and valid fashion.

Indexed as

Imitative BehaviorInhibition, PsychologicalAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansInternetMalePsychometricsPsychomotor PerformanceReproducibility of ResultsYoung AdultAutomatic imitationImitation-inhibition taskOnline researchSurvey software

Identifiers

PMID39884989
PMCPMC11782408

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.