title: Imitation of a bimanual task in preschool- and school-age children: a hierarchical construction.
abstract: The present study examined the development of bimanual interaction during the imitation of a live demonstration. To this end, children of five different age groups observed an adult model performing in an object manipulation task consisting to open a box with one hand, taking out an object with the other hand, and closing the box again, before they were asked to imitate this motor task under different imitation conditions. The children's responses were videotaped, coded in dichotomous data, and then transformed in percentage scores. The main results showed that all children were able to imitate/attain the goal of the task. However, differences were observed for the different imitation conditions, which were also reflected in some age effects, while hand dominance was a strong constraint on imitation. Also, practice did not seem to increase the likelihood of model imitation. These findings confirm that imitation is a reconstruction mechanism hierarchically organized.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire GEPECS, Equipe TEC: Techniques et Enjeux du Corps - UFR STAPS, 1 rue Lacretelle, Paris, France. lazharlabiadh@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Lazhar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Labiadh
authors.forename: Marie-Martine
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ramanantsoa
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Golomer
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*