Monkey see, monkey do, monkey make friends

CHICAGO: Humans are not the only primates that see imitation as the highest form of flattery - capuchin monkeys also have a soft spot for those who copy their behavior, researchers reported on Thursday in the journal Science.

In a finding that could lend insight into human disorders like autism, US and Italian behavioral psychologists said capuchin monkeys not only spent more time with researchers who imitated their behavior, but when given a choice, they picked the copycat to work with over another researcher.

The findings show imitation as a kind of "social glue" shared by both human and non-human primates, the team lead by Annika Paukner of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, one of the National Institutes of Health wrote.