Aisb Journal Imitation in Animals and Artifacts Editors' Introduction a Longitudinal Study of Immediate, Deferred, and Synchronic Imitation through the Second Year

The aim in this study was to investigate the emergence of immediate imitation, deferred imitation and synchronic imitation in human infants through the second year. A longitudinal study was conducted of eighty-six infants at three monthly intervals from 12through to 24-months-of-age. At each session the infants were assessed for immediate, deferred and synchronic imitation. Immediate and deferred imitation was evident in the infants from 12-months onwards. In contrast, it was not until 18-months that synchronic imitation began to emerge. Moreover, the infants’ engagement in both immediate imitation and deferred imitation showed a common developmental trajectory that was distinct from the trajectory for synchronic imitation. It is argued that synchronic imitation, unlike the other forms of imitation assessed here, is primarily a communicative act.