Status: Under review (Stage 1)

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31 authors from 11 countries on PsyArXiv preprint

In a seminal study, Meltzoff and Moore (1977) reported that neonates aged 12-21 days imitated the gestures of tongue protrusion, mouth opening and lip pursing, as well as sequential finger movement. This discovery transformed developmental science by suggesting that imitation, a skill that is crucial for human survival and foundational for later development, is available soon after birth. Despite its influence on theories, attempts to replicate and extend these findings have been mixed; some report successful replications of this landmark finding, whereas others find no evidence of early imitation. As such, questions remain about the generalizability of Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) core findings, and about the sources of variation across labs (e.g., methodology, infant state, culture) that may account for these apparently contradictory findings. As a first step of addressing this ongoing debate, we will explore whether neonates (14 - 28 days) and young infants (39 - 46 days) match tongue protrusion and mouth opening behaviours, using a cross-target approach in a multi-laboratory conceptual replication of Meltzoff and Moore (1977).

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Meltzoff, A. N., Farwaha, S., Slaughter, V., Simpson, E. A., Brooks, R., Nielsen, M., Baumgartner, H. A., Bayet, L., Benavides-Varela, S., Boyce, V., Byers-Heinlein, K., Dönicke, J., Flaherty, B. P., Forbes, S. H., Frank, M. C., Geraci, A., Hamlin, K., Heimann, M., Keven, N., … Zeng, G. (2026). ManyBabies 6: A Multi-Lab Investigation of Neonatal and Early Imitation (Stage 1 Registered Report). PsyArXiv, (), .
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Andrew N. Meltzoff
Sumeet Farwaha
Virginia Slaughter
Elizabeth A. Simpson
Rechele Brooks
Mark Nielsen
Heidi A. Baumgartner
Laurie Bayet
Silvia Benavides-Varela
Veronica Boyce
Krista Byers-Heinlein
Jasmin Dönicke
Brian P. Flaherty
Samuel H. Forbes
Michael C. Frank
Alessandra Geraci
J. Kiley Hamlin
Mikael Heimann
Nazim Keven
Jill Lany
Jaroslaw R. Lelonkiewicz
Tiffany S. Leung
Sarah Maylott
David Moreau
Ermanno Quadrelli
Peter J. Reschke
Chiara Turati
Stefano Vincini
Staci M. Weiss
Tania S. Zamuner
Guangyu Zeng