Imitation of Actions with Objects: The Role of Social Meaning

Abstract The effect of meaningfulness of modeled acts on imitation by infants was investigated by comparing imitation of four acts, each carried out with a socially appropriate and an inappropriate object. A total of 40 infants, equally divided between 7 1/2-, 10-, 16-, and 22-month-old groups, were videotaped in play with a set of toys and while imitating actions carried out with objects. Imitation was found to increase with age. The two middle groups imitated acts with socially appropriate objects more frequently, while the 22-month-olds imitated acts with both types of objects about equally. Simple familiar acts were imitated most by the youngest group, but were imitated much like acts with inappropriate objects by the older children. It was suggested that meaningfulness rather than familiarity is probably the important dimension affecting occurrence of imitation during middle infancy.