Anyone who has observed or played with young children probably has noticed how they imitate what they see--their friends, siblings, parents, and teachers; television, movie, and book characters; and sometimes even their family pets. Frequently, this imitation can help children learn appropriate behaviors, attitudes, and thinking patterns.…

Attempts to define and clarify the concept of response uncertainty of the observer in imitation through a review of research on imitation. (CM)

Observed liberal-stringent model behavior significantly affected both the subject's subsequent self-reward behavior and performance. (Authors)

Replicated a New York City study of completed suicides by persons 19 years old or younger, in metropolitan districts of Ohio, Texas and California, following broadcast of four fictional television films on suicide. Found the impact of movies varied by metropolitan area. Analyzed geographic differences in suicide response, emphasizing that…

An adult model (teacher) displayed a preference for the doll least selected by the children in her classroom. Indications were that children in the experimental classes imitated the preference of their teacher in selecting their favorite doll at the completion of the experimental period. (Author/CB)

Selected vocal and gestural imitation items were presented to twenty-four 8-, 14- and 20-month-old boys and girls in an elicited task situation. Both vocal and gestural imitation increased with age, although for each age group there was significantly more gestural than vocal imitation. (BD)

Six studies relevant to the analysis of generalized imitative behavior are described. The first examined the role of verbal instructions in generalized imitation by comparing the use of a "do this" instruction with no such instruction and the use of positive reinforcement with no reinforcement. The tenacity of generalized imitation in this study…

Only recently have imitation researchers turned their attention to the effects on the model of being imitated by observers. This report outlines and reviews the findings of research in the developing paradigms. Four paradigms into the effects of being imitated are examined briefly: (1) operant strengthening paradigm; (2) classical conditioning…

Relevance of cognitive and developmental variables to observational learning and imitation is also discussed. (Authors/MB)

Investigating the effect of age and temporal placement of a modelled skill on performance of a balance task of 60 boys (seven and nine years old) indicated significant effects of age, temporal appearance of the model, and an interaction of model by age for time on-balance. (Author/PN)

Peer modeling as a non-punitive disciplinary technique was examined in two studies assessing its effectiveness in increasing self-control of young children in the absence of an authority figure. The first study investigated the effect of observing the rule-following behavior of a peer model on the observing child's subsequent self-control.…

The effects of model age and competence on the imitation behavior of 80 educable mentally retarded boys (mean age 12.2 years) were investigated. (Author/PHR)

Imitation in the speech of the child serves at least three functions in the development of linguistic competence. Imitation provides auditory feedback for phonological and morpho-syntactic accuracy, produces a model for verification and/or clarification by speakers, and "makes time" for the processing and acquisition of information. Beyond these…

Drawing on Roger Schank's and Robert Abelson's theory of scripts as a way of viewing learning as behavior at four hierarchical levels, the study examined the literacy learning behavior of two Chicano sisters (one in the second grade and the other in kindergarten) reading orally from storybooks in a home setting. The English story books received in…

Appraises the respective contribution of initial competence and of imitation of modeled response in the observational learning of conservation among first grade children. (HOD)