Generalized imitation in preschool boys

The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which the generalized motor imitation paradigm developed by Baer and Deguchi (1985) applies to the vocal imitation of preschool boys. Five normally developing male preschool children between 3 and 5 years of age served as subjects. We presented the children with four choices: Matching, Nonmatching, Listening, and Waiting. Once we established a baseline preference measure, we introduced reinforcement of imitation for a different vocal response (color naming). The effect of this manipulation was to increase the preference for matching for three of the five children. The results are consistent with the conditioned-reinforcement hypothesis regarding generalized imitation. They are also consistent with previous research showing that not all children prefer to imitate following direct reinforcement of other imitative behavior.