Imitative Games by 9‐, 14‐, and 18‐Month‐Old Infants

Abstract

AbstractTwo experiments used a mutual imitation paradigm to assess 9‐, 14‐, and 18‐month‐old infants' developing understanding of intentions in others. In the first study, 1 experimenter imitated the infants' actions, and another experimenter performed contingent but different actions on an identical toy. From 9 months of age, infants show discrimination between the mimicking and the contingent experimenter. In a second study, same‐age groups of infants faced either an experimenter mimicking their actions on an identical object or the object mimicking them independently of any manual contact by the experimenter. Only 14‐ and 18‐month‐olds showed discrimination between the 2 conditions, this discrimination correlating with infants' relative ability to follow gaze and points in triadic exchanges. These results are interpreted as demonstrating important developmental changes between 9 and 14 months in the construal of others as intentional.