Imitation as a consequence for children's behavior: Two experimental case studies

The purpose of the case studies was to illustrate the novel use of imitation as aconsequence and the varied effects of such consequating events. An adult's imitation of two retarded children's inappropriate classroom behavior was used as a consequence. In the case of a child whose eating behavior was inappropriate, imitation served as an aversive stimulus, dramatically reducing inappropriate behavior. For a child who made animal-like yelps during language instruction, imitation served as a positive reinforcer (i.e., accelerated yelping). The results are discussed with regard to person variables and future research.