Can imitation be considered one of the most successful strategies in business? My answer is " yes ". It appears that this topic is getting more and more attention nowadays. It is well known that Apple's success can be attributed to taking existing ideas and repackaging them with excellent design. However, no one can readily blame Steven Jobs for lacking originality. Even if the ideas for his co...

Many previous accounts of imitation have pointed out that children's copying behavior is a means by which to learn from others, while virtually ignoring the social factors which influence imitation. These accounts have thus far been unable to explain flexibility in children's copying behavior (e.g., why children sometimes copy exactly and sometimes copy selectively). We propose that the complex...