Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
72
Imitation
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (4 to 7 months)
During this period, the child
may:
• Listen to the infant care
teacher talk during a diaper
change and then babble back
when she pauses. (5.5–6.5
mos.; Parks 2004, 125)
• Copy the intonation of the
infant care teacher’s speech
when babbling. (7 mos.; Parks
2004)
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (9 to 17 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Shrug shoulders after the infant
care teacher does it. (9–11
mos.; Parks 2004; by 12 mos.;
American Academy of Pediatrics
2004, 243)
• Imitate sounds or words immediately
after the infant care
teacher makes them. (9 mos.;
Apfel and Provence 2001;
12–18 mos.; Hulit and Howard
2006, 122; 17 mos.; Hart and
Risley 1999, 84)
• Copy the infant care teacher in
waving “bye-bye” to a parent as
he leaves the room. (12 mos.;
Meisels and others 2003, 26)
• Copy an adult’s action that is
unfamiliar but that the child can
see herself do, such as wiggling
toes, even though it may take
some practice before doing it
exactly as the adult does. (9–14
mos.; Parks 2004, 32)
• Watch the infant care teacher
squeeze the toy in the water
table to make water squirt
out, then try the same action.
(Scaled score of 10 for 13:16–
14:15 mos.; Bayley 2006, 61)
• Imitate the hand motion of the
infant care teacher. (Scaled
score of 10 for 14:16–15:15
mos.; Bayley 2006, 135)
• Point to or indicate an object,
pay attention as the infant care
teacher labels the object, and
then try to repeat the label.
(11–16 mos.; Hart and Risley
1999, 82)
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (19 to 35 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Repeat the most important word
of a sentence the infant care
teacher has just communicated.
(17–19 mos.; Parks 2004)
• Imitate the last word or last few
words of what an adult just said;
for example say, cup or a cup
after the infant care teacher says,
“That’s a cup” or say, “Daddy
bye-bye” after the mother says,
“Daddy went bye-bye.” (22 mos.;
Hart and Risley 1999, 99; 17–19
mos.; Parks 2004, 128)
• Copy several actions that the
child cannot see himself doing,
such as wrinkling the nose.
(17–20 mos.; Parks 2004, 32)
• Say, “beep, beep, beep, beep”
after hearing the garbage truck
back up outside. (18-21 mos.;
Parks 2004)
• Act out a few steps of a familiar
routine, such as pretend to fill the
tub, bathe a baby doll, and dry
the doll. (18–24 mos.; Parks 2004,
28)
• Imitate words that the adult has
expressed to the child at an
earlier time, not immediately after
hearing them. (24–27 mos.; Parks
2004; 19–28 mos.; Hart and Risley
1999, 61)
• Imitate two new actions of the
infant care teacher; for example,
put one hand on head and point
with the other hand. (26:16–27:15
mos.; Bayley 2006, 71)
• Imitate the way a family member
communicates by using the same
gestures, unique words, and
intonation.