However, noticing the difference between the goal objects might not have been enough to counteract
the path preference. Perhaps children needed to actually interact with the goals in order for them
to have a strong influence. As noted above, 19 of the participants interacted with the goal objects during
the free play session prior to the study itself. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted
with path preference score as the dependent variable and whether or not the children free
played with the goals as the independent variable. The results showed a significant difference, F(1,
32) = 7.4, p < .011, Cohen’s d = .971. Children who played with the goal objects prior to the study
had a much lower path preference score (.05) compared with those who did not play with the goal
objects (.43). Concrete experience with the goal objects, therefore, does seem to influence children’s
choices in imitation.