Modeling, imitation training, and the acquisition of sentence phrases

Abstract

Imitation and modeling were compared in a multiple-baseline individual analysis. Probe pictures and training pictures were presented to normal pre-school subjects. In modeling, an adult used sentences—including either participial, prepositional, appositive, or infinitive phrases—to describe training pictures. Without responding to the training pictures, the children were asked to describe the probe pictures. In imitation training, in addition to responding to probe pictures, subjects were reinforced for directly imitating a description of training pictures. The dependent variable was the frequency with which the children used the phrase type being exemplified on training trials to describe pictures presented on probe trials. Both procedures were successful in producing imitation of the structure of the model's utterances on probe trials even though the content of the utterances on probe trials was not imitative. Imitation training was effective for every phrase type and subject while modeling was effective for only some subjects and some phrase types. Relationships between these two procedures and the normal environment of language acquisition were discussed.