ABSTRACT
Imitative behaviour has attracted the attention of humanists and social psychologists for centuries. The small child sits in father’s chair, scuttles around in his carpet slippers, or wants her hair done up like mother’s. “Copy-cat” is a well-known reproach to the socially aspiring. Explanations of imitative behaviour have varied from time to time, but each serious attempt has leaned heavily upon a particular psychological theory. The analysis proposed here is no exception. It rests upon a psychology which may be called, in brief, a reinforcement theory of social learning. It derives from the work of Pavlov (1927), Thorndike (1911; 1914; 1940), and Watson (1919), although it should not be confused with the detailed position of any one of these writers. Its best current statement and synthesis have been made by Hull (1941*). The basic position has already been outlined. The present object is to see its relevance in a restatement of the nature of imitative behaviour.
