The BBC reports:

Scientists from Emory University in Atlanta, US, have discovered that an animation of a yawning chimp will stimulate real chimps to yawn.

They describe in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B, how this could assist in the future study of empathy.

The work could also help unravel if and how computer games might cause children to imitate what they see on screen.

For more information, check this posting on Emory eScienceCommons blog, which concludes:

The knowledge gained could help in the design of animation to promote imitation, such as therapies for children with autism, or to limit imitation, such as violent video games.

The site also includes a video of a chimp imitating the animation, but not the animation itself.  See also the article on Futurity.org here.  (Click on the image above for a larger view.)