This thesis presents an overview of imitation of models as a literacy pedagogy. Through comprehensive analysis of various perspectives both past and present, this thesis argues that imitation has been an effective literacy pedagogy throughout the history of rhetoric and composition and further, that it remains a feasible pedagogy for modern writing classrooms. The study finds that, by imitating models of excellence, students can not only learn a range of essential writing components, which include subject matter, style, genre, detail, creativity, and writing process, but also they can learn some nontechnical aspects, such as morality, from the model. The thesis also discusses how imitation pedagogy should be implemented. Key issues, including major steps involved in an imitation exercise, caution and judgment in model selection, and the conflict between imitation and plagiarism, are discussed in considerable detail. / Department of English

Few research efforts have tested Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory in an educational setting. Though the results from these studies have provided support for this theory's applicability in this setting, the effects of certain model behaviors and characteristics have not yet been determined. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of videotaped peer models on children's self-efficacy judgments and persistence times on an intellectual task. One hundred and sixty-two fourth grade children were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental conditions or one control condition with equal numbers of males and females in each condition. Eight videotapes constituted the eight experimental conditions. Each tape consisted of either a male or female peer model trying to solve a block puzzle at one of two levels of persistence and success. Children's persistence on the insolvable block puzzle was measured by time in seconds, while an efficacy scale assessed children's conviction that they could master the block puzzle. It was found that children's persistence times and self-efficacy judgments regarding a block puzzle task were influenced by a model's persistence and success behaviors. Model persistence was more influential than model success on children's persistence, while self-efficacy was influenced only by model success. Sex of the model and sex of the subject did not affect children's persistence times; however, sex of the subject did affect children's self-efficacy judgments. The research findings were discussed in terms of: (1) The role of self-efficacy as a cognitive mediator, (2) Same-sex versus different sex modeling, (3) The utility and strength of videotaped modeling relative to live modeling, and (4) Peer models versus adult models.

Explicitly rewarding the imitation of actions demonstrated by a model provides a method for training new behaviour in mentally retarded children. After such training even initially nonimitative children will often copy further novel actions even though such imitations are not rewarded (generalized imitation). A review of the literature on this topic suggested that many aspects of this phenomenon had not been adequately investigated. The research for this thesis therefore studied a number of practical aspects of imitation training in a total of fourteen initially nonimitative subnormal children. Five experiments were performed using a discrete trial paradigm. Experiment 1 compared two methods of training generalized imitation in initially nonimitative children. The first method involved varying the actions demonstrated for imitation from trial to trial (a 'Cumulative' method). In the second method, imitation of each action was trained to criterion performance in isolation (a 'Serial' method). Both methods successfully trained imitation and generalized imitation, but the results suggested that the 'Cumulative' method was the more efficient. Experiment 2 investigated the maintenance of imitation by intermittent reinforcement. The 'imitations' of one group of subjects were reinforced on a variable-ratio schedule and those of the other on a continuous reinforcement schedule. Both reinforcement conditions maintained 'imitations' and 'generalized imitations' at high, stable levels, but the group maintained under variable-ratio reinforcement showed greater resistance to subsequent extinction (the Partial Reinforcement Effect). In Experiment 3, subjects who had been trained to reproduce the actions of a particular model in one setting were tested in different locations and with different models. Changes in both variables resulted in decrements in 'imitative' and 'generalized imitative' response performances. In Experiment 4, a discrimination was established with three subjects by training imitation in the presence of a large ball and non imitation in the presence of a small ball. Imitation was then tested for various other ball sizes. Levels of imitation decreased as the test stimuli increasingly differed in size from the large ball. "Generalized imitations" occurred at about the same level as 'imitations' for each test stimulus. In Experiment 5, all previously trained subjects were tested after an interval of three months with no formal imitation training. Some children then demonstrated decrements in imitative responding but rapidly recovered former levels of performance upon brief refresher retraining. The results suggested that, for clinical purposes, the "imitations" and "generalized imitations" of retarded children may be expected to show some characteristics of a single functional response class. However, some parts of the present results as well as other published data indicate such an account does not completely explain all aspects of the phenomenon.

Operant conditioning techniques were used to establish imitation in the manner outlined by Baer. Countercontrol was assessed in motor and vocal imitation across four motivational levels. Three levels of food deprivation, i.e., three hour, fourteen hour, and twenty-one hour, plus a final response contingent shock level, composed the parameters.

A la différence de nombreux travaux sur l’imitation, cette recherche propose une approche de l’imitationpar les capacités. L’objet de notre recherche est d’identifier les capacités qu’une organisation peutdévelopper pour réussir un processus d’imitation sur les marchés concurrentiels. Pour réaliser cetterecherche, nous avons défini et distingué différents types d’imitation et mobilisé l’approche par lescapacités dynamiques qui nous semble pertinente pour expliquer la mobilisation et la reconfiguration desressources et compétences d’une organisation pour réagir sur un marché. Empiriquement, nous avonschoisi d’étudier les décisions d’imitation prises sur le marché des cartes bancaires marocaines pouridentifier les capacités. Nous avons mis en place une méthodologie de recherche qualitative -l’étude decas multiples-, basée sur une approche abductive. Les résultats de l’étude montrent que les banquesmarocaines développent des capacités d’imitation (capacité d’absorption, capacités d’apprendre parobservation des concurrents, capacité de collecte d’informations et capacité de R&D imitative) enfonction du type d’imitation visée. Le type d’imitation dépend également de la taille d’une banque.Certaines de ces capacités sont considérées comme des capacités dynamiques. Ces résultats viennentenrichir les connaissances sur l’imitation et les capacités dynamiques. Cependant, ce travail présentecertaines limites inhérentes à la méthodologie choisie et propose des perspectives d’amélioration étantdonnée la jeunesse de l’approche par les capacités dynamiques. / Contrary to past studies on imitation, this research proposes an approach from a capabilities perspective.Our objective is to identify the capabilities that an organization can develop in order for its imitationprocess to be successful in competitive markets. We identify, define and distinguish different types ofimitations using the concept of “dynamic capabilities” due to its potential to explain the organization’sreaction to the market through the mobilization and reconfiguration of its resources and competencies.To identify such capabilities, we investigate the decisions to imitate with respect to the banking cardsmarket using a qualitative research strategy with multiple case studies and an abductive approach. Theresults show that Moroccan retail banks develop imitation capabilities (absorptive capacities, learningcapabilities through the observation of competitotrs, capabilities to collect information, and R&Dimitative capacities) according to the sought type of imitation which depends to an extent on the size ofthe bank. Some of the developed capabilities are considered to be dynamic. These results contribute tothe current body of knowledge on imitation and dynamic capabilities. However, this research presentscertain limitations inherent to the adopted methodology; hence it suggests some improvements given thestate of infancy of the approach to imitation by the concept of dynamic capabilities.

Thesis--Literatur--Universität Rostock, 1999. / Bibliogr. p. 302-339.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Neuropsychologie : Lyon 2 : 2003. / Comporte des textes rédigés en anglais. Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr.

Thesis--Copenhagen.

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