Infants' response to maternal mirroring was investigated in 4-month-old infants. Mother-infant dyads participated in the still face and replay tasks. Infants were grouped by those whose mothers did and did not mirror their behavior in the interactive phases of the tasks. In the still face task, infants with maternal mirroring showed more…

Gergely, Bekkering, and Kiraly (2002) demonstrated that 14-month-old infants engage in "rational imitation." To investigate the development and flexibility of this skill, we tested 12-month-olds on a different but analogous task. Infants watched as an adult made a toy animal use a particular action to get to an endpoint. In 1 condition there was a…

The behavioral dynamics of three different types of early mother-infant interactions were examined. Mothers were instructed to play with, imitate, and hold the attention of their infants. Frequency of vocalization, gaze direction, and smiling by both interactants, tactile play by the mother, and crying by the infant were recorded. (PCB)

The early phase of imitation was studied in children between 6 and 18 months by means of the presentation of 22 actions. (SB)

Compared performance of infants with autism, developmental delays, or normal development on a prospective screening instrument for autism. Found that 20-month-olds with autism lacked social gaze in empathy and joint attention tasks. Infants with autism or developmental delays demonstrated functional play. Few produced spontaneous pretend play.…