How is the transition between intersubjectivity and subjectivity accomplished? While many developmental theorists have argued that social interaction gives rise to individualistic capacities (e.g. representation, language, consciousness), relatively few theorists have attempted to identify the precise mechanisms that might be responsible for this transformation. The present paper addresses this gap by drawing attention to the central role played by emotional intimacy. It is argued that subjectivity arises out of intimate engagement with others, and particular attention is given to the role of imitation in fostering such intimacy. While the primary focus is on infant development, links are made to work with atypical populations because they offer valuable insights into the developmental processes under consideration here. The ultimate aim of the paper is to demonstrate that by recognizing the emotional intimacy inherent within adult–infant interactions, new solutions are offered to theoretical problems that developmental psychology continues to face in accounting for the origins of subjectivity.

Key words: imitation, affect attunement, intimacy, emotion, oxytocin, intersubjectivity, representation, self-awareness

In information visualisation, zoomable user interfaces (ZUI) were developed in order to navigate in a big information space. They have an infinite space and allow the manipulation of infinite pans and zooms but the main drawback is the risk of getting lost in the information space. Understanding how a human being perceived the scale changes and how he is living this “zoomable” experience will help to avoid the user disorientation when he manipulate this kind of interfaces. While basing on ecological and enactive theories, we will try to bring some elements of responses in order to understand the navigation in ZUI.

In this study, we mentions the first results concerning the validity of the 2/3 power law for shapes explored by Tactos, a sensory substitution device.