Learning the Rules: Observation and Imitation of a Sorting Strategy by 36-Month-Old Children

摘要

Two experiments were used to investigate the scope of imitation by testing whether 36-month-olds can learn to produce a categorization strategy through observation. After witnessing an adult sort a set ofobjects by a visible property (their color; Experiment 1) or a nonvisible property (the particular soundsproduced when the objects were shaken; Experiment 2), children showed significantly more sorting bythose dimensions relative to children in control groups, including a control in which children saw thesorted endstate but not the intentional sorting demonstration. The results show that 36-month-olds can domore than imitate the literal behaviors they see; they also abstract and imitate rules that they see anotherperson use.