The Developmental Characteristics Of Imitation Of Infants And Mothers In 9-38 Months

From the social interactional perspective, this study observerd105infants’ and their mothers’ verbal imitation to find their developmental changes, the relations between mothers’ and infants’ verbal imitation and provide bases for future research to understand the role of verbal imitation in language development at these four critical ages.This study has found:(1)Infants’14months of age was significantly positively correlated with mothers’ exact imitation. Girls’ and their mothers’ reducded-expanded imitation at25months were significantly higher than boys’ and their mothers’. The mothers’ who took care of their children over49hours a week and their babies’ reducded-expanded imitation were significantly higher than those length of time of taking care of children equal to or less than10hours a week.(2)When infants were at9months, their exact imitation accounted for the largest proportion of verbal imitation. Their reducded-expanded imitation accounted for the greatest proportion of verbal imitation when they were at14,25and38months. Mothers’ exact imitation accounted for the greatest proportion when infants were at9,14and25months, and reducded-expanded imitation at38months.(3)There was a significant increasing trend of infants’ exact imitation at9,14and25months. Compared with25months, infants’ exact imitation at38months decreased significantly. Infants’ reducded imitation and reducded-expanded imitation increased significantly during the four ages. Infants’ expanded imitation and substituted imitation appeared at25months in this study and both increased significantly between25to38months.(4)There was a significant increasing trend of mothers’ exact imitation at9,14and25months. Compared with25months, mothers’ exact imitation at38months’ decreased significantly. Mothers’ reducded imitation and reducded-expanded imitation increased during the four ages. Mothers’ reduced imitation appeared when infants were at25months in this study, and did not increased significantly between25to38months.(5)Mothers’ and infants’ verbal imitations were significantly concurrently correlated at14,25and38months. Infants’ verbal imitation at25months could positively predict mothers’ verbal imitation when infants were at38month at marginal significance level. Mothers’ verbal imitation at25months could significantly negtively predict infants’ verbal imitation at38months.