Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1993 Jul;29(4):701-710.
doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.29.4.701.

Peer Imitation by Toddlers in Laboratory, Home, and Day-Care Contexts: Implications for Social Learning and Memory

Elizabeth Hanna  1 , Andrew N Meltzoff  1
Affiliations

Peer Imitation by Toddlers in Laboratory, Home, and Day-Care Contexts: Implications for Social Learning and Memory

Elizabeth Hanna et al. Dev Psychol. 1993 Jul.

Abstract

Three experiments examined peer imitation with 14- to 18-month-old infants. In Experiment 1, infants saw a trained 14-month-old ("expert peer") perform specific actions on 5 objects. Imitation from memory was tested after a 5-min delay. In Experiment 2, the infants observed an expert peer in the laboratory, and retention and imitation were tested in the home (change of context) after a 2-day delay. In Experiment 3, a peer demonstrated target acts at a day care, and after a 2-day delay infants were tested in their homes. Results from all 3 experiments showed significant imitation compared with controls. The experiments demonstrate social learning from peers during infancy and also provide the first evidence for infant imitation from memory across a change in context.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abramovitch R, Corter C, Lando B. Sibling interaction in the home. Child Development. 1979;50:997–1003.
    1. Asendorpf JB, Baudonnière P-M. Self-awareness and other-awareness: Mirror self-recognition and synchronic imitation among unfamiliar peers. Developmental Psychology. 1993;29:88–95.
    1. Bakeman R, Adamson LB. Coordinating attention to people and objects in mother-infant and peer-infant interaction. Child Development. 1984;55:1278–1289. - PubMed
    1. Balsam PD, Tomie AT, editors. Context and learning. Erlbaum; Hillsdale, NJ: 1985.
    1. Barrett MD. Early semantic representations and early word-usage. In: Kuczaj SA, Barrett MD, editors. The development of word meaning: Progress in cognitive development research. Springer-Verlag; New York: 1986. pp. 39–67.