Selective Imitation of Same-Age, Older, and Younger Peer Models

BRODY, GENE H., and STONEMAN, ZOLINDA. Selective Imitation of Same-Age, Older, and Younger Peer Models. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1981, 52, 717-720. While it is well documented that same-age and mixed-age peer relations are important contributors to socialization, relatively little is known about how the age composition of peer groups influences basic social learning processes such as imitation. The present studies were designed to examine children's imitation of same-age, younger, and older peers. The studies were also designed to determine whether peer models affect the acquisition, imitative performance, or both aspects of observational learning. Study 1 examined these questions with a single model format, while study 2 employed a multiple modeling format. The data from study 1 revealed that children displayed selective imitation of same-age and older models, even though they exhibited near perfect acquisition of the information displayed by younger models. The results of study 2 revealed that children selectively imitated both same-age and older models when those models were juxtaposed with a younger peer. Children did not display any selective imitation when older peers were paired with same-age peers.