ERIC Number: EJ1168547
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-7227
EISSN: N/A
"I'm an Ogre so I'm Very Hungry!" "I'm Assistant Ogre": The Social Function of Sibling Imitation in Early Childhood
Howe, Nina; Rosciszewska, Joanna; Persram, Ryan J.
Infant and Child Development, v27 n1 Jan-Feb 2018
Siblings' imitative behaviors were investigated in 39 middle-class dyads during six 90-min home sessions at both Time 1 (M age: older sibling = 4.4 years; younger sibling = 2.4 years) and Time 2 (2 years later). Although younger siblings imitated most often at T1 and T2, older siblings' imitation increased proportionally over time in comparison to younger siblings. Findings highlight the affiliative nature of imitation that occurred during reciprocal play interactions, via positive responses, and the content of the imitation. Finally, age was controlled by comparing first-born siblings aged 4 at T1 to second-born siblings aged 4 at T2. Findings demonstrated that sibling imitation had distinct characteristics despite the age match and partner effects. Sibling imitation is a dynamic, interactive social behavior and may be a powerful source of learning for young children.
Descriptors: Siblings, Imitation, Young Children, Longitudinal Studies, Play, Comparative Analysis, Social Behavior, Learning, Middle Class
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A