In order to study spontaneous imitation, 13 triads of familiar peers ages 2 years to 2.11 years were brought together without adult presence in an experimental setting containing three sets of 10 different categories of objects. Analysis of filmed data focused on occasions when two children simultaneously held matching objects. (Author/RH)

Sketches the outlines of a life-span perspective on competence development, which focuses on beliefs about one's potential for producing desirable outcomes. The concern is with the nature and implications of individual differences in perceptions of personal agency and likely origins and development of the perceptions in the early years. (Author/BB)