Viewing imitation as child responsiveness: A link between teaching and discipline domains of socialization

The authors observed 106 children's imitation and responses to maternal con trol at 14 and 22 months. Imitation was observed in a teaching task in whic h mothers modeled 3 standard pretend-play sequences. Responses to control w ere observed in typical discipline contexts. Girls imitated more than boys. Responsive imitation measures were coherent and longitudinally stable and correlated significantly with responsiveness to maternal control. The autho rs propose that a young child's willingness to imitate his or her parent in a teaching context and to comply in a control context both reflect a respo nsive or receptive stance toward parental socialization. The consistency of children's responsiveness across contexts has implications for both sociom oral and cognitive development.