Because early theoretical frameworks such as Piaget's stage model and social learning theory sought to explain the development and performance of imitation in terms of overall group trends, any evidence for individual differences in this behavior was until recently largely overlooked. Results of contemporary imitation studies have not only begun…

Noting that children's play activities, particularly the development of dramatic scenarios, have been a central focus of developmental-interaction thinking over many decades, this paper explores the emphasis on play and the specific meanings accorded to it within this developmental-interaction tradition. The first part of the paper considers the…