ABSTRACT
Imitation can hasten the process of learning by forcing the subject to respond correctly to the proper cue more quickly than he otherwise would. In this way, a preliminary phase of imitation or copying is often useful in teaching a subject to respond independently to the proper environmental cues. In fact, one of the chief functions of copying as it is commonly used in the schoolroom is to get the subject to the stage where he can make the socially appropriate response independently and in the absence of a model. This use of the mechanism of imitation is of enough practical importance to deserve special attention. A more thorough understanding of the details of the process may suggest when imitation should be expected to be of great aid, of little aid, or a positive hindrance to independent learning.
