The effect of automatic imitation in a strategic context was examined within an East Asian culture (Japan) through a study using the game of rock-paper-scissors. The task of strategic players is to avoid imitating their opponents. Study participants (N = 42) were instructed to play the game and to win as many rounds as possible, while either or both players were blindfolded. The results revealed that sighted participants did not unconsciously imitate the gestures of blindfolded participants. Previous findings from Western populations on the effect of automatic imitation in a strategic context were thus not replicated within the present East Asian sample.

Key words: automatic imitation, mirror neuron system, rock-paper-scissors, social cognition