Infant orofacial movements: Inputs, if not outputs, of early imitative ability?

Abstract

According to Keven & Akins (K&A), infant orofacial gestures may not reflect imitative responses. Here, we emphasise that these actions nonetheless represent a significant feature of the infant's early sensorimotor experience, and therefore may play a key role in the development of imitative capacities. We discuss how the ideas proposed in the target article could contribute substantially to experiential accounts of imitation.