ABSTRACT
Imitative acts in infants have been reported by a number of investigators. Systematic research of the problem of infant imitative behavior was undertaken. Studies by A. N. Meltzoff and M. K. Moore showed that imitation in neonates can occur much earlier than previously reported. The infants were also able to imitate manual gestures, such as hand closing and opening when these gestures were performed in the front of them by an adult. These experiments were carefully designed; the experimenters made sure that the infants had not been previously trained to imitate any of these gestures. To prevent the possibility of such training, the parents, who were present during the test, had not been told in advance about the experimental plan. Imitation of tongue protrusion in 2 to 6-week-old infants as a response to demonstration of this act by an adult, was also reported by S. W. Jacobson.
