Imitation develops.

<p>Children’s closest matches to a model’s multiple demonstrations of hitting a spouted cup with her elbow indicate an extended developmental course for imitation of that action. Four categories of behavior typify the developmental course from the lowest to the highest of the 5 age levels tested (n = 32 at each level): in young 1-year olds, 1) play with no apparent attempt to imitate (“played”), and 2) reproduction, not of the model’s movements, but of the effect of those movements (“conventional hitting”); in most children from 1 ½ to 2 years of age, 3) inaccurate attempts to produce the model’s arm postures and movements (“unconventional hitting”); and in most children by 2 ½ years of age, 4) accurate reproduction of the modeled arm posture and movement (“elbow hit”).