1978 Volume 49 Issue 5 Pages 241-248
Subjects consisted of 48 5-year old children, classified into four experimental groups, namely HR-HA, HR-LA, LR-HA and LR-LA. A control group consisted of 32 the same age. In each group, each child was asked twice to choose one alternative out of ten paired-pictures and then to arrange the pictures into a story. After the first trial subject's child-nurse served as a model and displayed a series of choices opposite to those made by the subject. Shifts of choice made by the child on the second trial were recorded as a measure of imitation. All the experimental groups except the LR-LA made significantly more shifts than the control group. The HR-HA group subjects, who were highly reliant on their models and had a highly satisfactory relationship with their nurses, showed significantly more shifts than the other experimental groups. The results were discussed as supporting the hypothesis that, depending on the children's reliance on the model itself, the children's cognition of the model affects imitative behavior.