imitation involves a sophisticated cognitive process. In the example of imitating adult facial expressions, an infant must recognize the facial expression, retain a representation of the expression in memory and then translate this abstract representation into action. The differing opinions that exist on when infants can imitate are therefore linked with differing theories of infant cognitive development. Because cognitive abilities in infants can only be inferred from behavior,methodological limitations add further to the debate about when imitation occurs. When imitation is taken in a broader sense to include imitative from the caregiver, the importance of imitation in child development may be seen as playing a vital role in the formation of the infant's first relationships and earliest social skills. However, the role that imitation plays in early child development needs to be considered alongside other influences such as genetically predetermined factors, environmental factors and individual differences in temperament