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Imitation among infants in a day-care center and the development of locomotion

Noriko Toyama1

  • 1Waseda University, Japan.

Infant Behavior & Development
|August 6, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Infant locomotor development, like walking, enhances peer imitation. This motor skill development influences social interactions, often with caregiver involvement, creating a developmental cascade.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Infant Motor Development
  • Social Interaction

Background:

  • Peer interaction in infancy is crucial for social development.
  • Locomotion is a significant milestone in infant development.
  • Understanding the interplay between motor skills and social behavior is key.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between the development of locomotion and imitation among infants.
  • To analyze how different stages of motor development (crawling, cruising, walking) affect peer imitation.
  • To explore the role of caregivers in infant imitation and peer interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal observation of free play in a day-care setting over one year.
  • Analysis of imitation of object manipulation among 16 infants (mean age 8.3 months at baseline).
  • Categorization of data into crawling, cruising, and walking periods.

Main Results:

  • Peer-to-peer imitation increased with the development of locomotion.
  • Walking infants showed more imitation in triadic than dyadic interactions.
  • Caregivers frequently mediated imitation between infants, rather than direct peer-to-peer imitation.

Conclusions:

  • Acquisition of locomotor skills is a critical link in the developmental cascade from motor development to infant peer interaction.
  • Locomotion's impact on infant interaction is indirect, mediated by increased object sharing, caregiver interaction, and peer proximity.
  • These combined effects of walking facilitate more complex social engagement and imitation among infants.

Keywords:
ChildcareImitation, peer interactionLocomotion developmentWalking

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