Procedure
Experimental sessions occurred in a laboratory testing room furnished with a small
number of chairs along the wall and a small table and chair centrally. There were two
trials: one for the doorbell and one for the dome light. Order of presentation of the two
trials was counterbalanced. In each demonstration condition, one of two female adult
experimenters performed the actions, but the parent elicited the response from the
child. This was done so that children never interacted directly with the demonstrators
in the observational conditions. Parents were instructed carefully in advance on how
the session would proceed and what their role would be. They were provided with the
wording to use on an index card. In each case, the experimenter stayed in the room
while the caregiver elicited responses from the participant.