Imitation is not the "Holy Grail" of comparative cognition

We commend Byrne & Russon for their effort to expand and clarify the concep t of imitation by addressing the various levels of behavior organization at which it could occur. We are concerned, however, first about the ambiguity with which these levels are defined and second about whether there is any particular need for comparative cognition to keep focusing on imitation as an important intellectual faculty. We recommend stricter definitions of hie rarchical behavioral levels that will lend themselves to operational defini tions and continued study of how animal subjects organize their goal-direct ed behavior as opposed to whether it is or is not imitation.