Little is known about the origins of the pointing gesture. We sought to gain insight into its emergence by investigating individual differences in the pointing of 12-month-old infants in two ways. First, we looked at differences in the communicative and interactional uses of pointing and asked how different hand shapes relate to point frequency,…

In order to study spontaneous imitation, 13 triads of familiar peers ages 2 years to 2.11 years were brought together without adult presence in an experimental setting containing three sets of 10 different categories of objects. Analysis of filmed data focused on occasions when two children simultaneously held matching objects. (Author/RH)

This study examined (1) the level of symbolic capability as revealed in play, (2) the use of spontaneous vocal imitation, and (3) the nature of certain classes of words occurring in spontaneous infant language. Facets of child behavior were examined during the period of single-word utterances and early multiword combinations with a view to…