How imitators represent the imitated: the vital experiments. Commentary on Learning by imitation: a hierarchical approach, by R. W. Byrne and A. E. Russon

Byrne & Russon rightly draw attention to complex and neglected aspects of ape imitation. However, program-level imitation as a single, absolute category may mislead us in understanding abstractions involved in imitation. Designing the right experiments will offer clarity. One recent experiment has shown imitation of sequential structure: What is needed to test other components of what the authors propose?