The imitation factor

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I found this on this blog I sometimes read called Gene Expression. It's about the role of imitation in mate selection, in both animals with "simple" brains (guppies) and humans.

http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/002438.html

Essentially, female guppies choose males based partially on the choices they observe other females making, in addition to their own instinctive preferences. In humans, where of course choice is not limited to one sex, both men and women are shown to do this.

This gave me two thoughts:

1) This may explain part of why NTs tend to ignore aspies in terms of sex and dating. Since they spend so much of their time in groups, often mixed sex groups, an observer is likely to see members of the opposite sex choose to interact with them on a regular basis. And also, the signs of whether they are interacting out of attraction or just normal social interaction are often somewhat concealed. So those observations may trigger this imitation mechanism that makes them more attractive.

On the contrary, those with AS are likely to most often be seen alone, and in groups others are likely to keep them at arms length. So in this case, the imitation tendency leads to them being seen as less attractive, even when they might otherwise be that person's type.

This is much less likely to affect whether we prefer NTs to each other, because firstly we are relatively uncommon and are unlikely to observe each other often, and also (as I say in the next part) I think those on the autism spectrum may partially or even completely lack this tendency.

2) I wonder if small children show a similar tendency with toy preferences. If so, this might form the basis for an autism screening test. Give a child a few toys and notice which ones he prefers. Next, show him another kid playing with a less preferred toy. Then, give him the toys again and see if at first he plays more with that toy.

I feel that I don't have this imitation tendency, though I am usually capable of imitation when I want to. I sometimes actually feel I have the opposite tendency, namely to be more interested in things or people that nobody else seems to pay attention to. This comes from my drive to discover and invent things--I tend to perceive things that everyone else seems to be talking about and pursuing as things that are likely already well understood and explored, and in which a lot more effort will be needed to find something that hasn't been seen before. So, I wouldn't be surprised if autistic kids failed the test above, the question is, would typical kids pass?

Define "pass" and "fail."
Is that the one who chooses a toy on its own merits, for a reason,
or the one stupid enough to want something just because someone else does?

By "pass" I mean, that the child plays more with the previously non-preferred toy for a period of time immediately following the observation of another kid playing with it. This is what I might expect a typically developing child to do.

I don't have imitation tendency and in fact I despise it in others and always have done since very young. I really don't understand why anyone would want something just because other people do, and will instinctively rebel against it. However, there is an exception to this with the few people that I find very interesting - I will have a tendence to like things they like, although part of this might be that the people I find interesting are also quite individualistic.

This could explain why I am seemingly so unpopular with men - the few who have liked me have assumed initially that loads of others were after me and seem baffled that I'm not popular, given that I am intelligent, fairly good looking, slim and have an interesting personality. Still, I'm not complaining - I'd rather not have unwelcome male attention as it only makes life more complicated.