本研究探討目標導引理論解釋嬰幼兒模仿物體操作的適用性。受試者為17個月的嬰兒及29個月的幼兒各64名。在每一實驗情境中，示範者在新奇的物件剌激上依次呈現兩個不同的動作。根據示範皷操弄物體使用同側或異側的動作，及動作是否致物體引發顯著的結果(閃光或蜂嗚聲)，共有：顯著結果的同側或異側路徑、及非顯著結果的同側或異側路徑等四種觀察條件。如目標導引理論的預測，在異側嘗試中，受試者偏好以同側反應取代異側反應，此傾向不受結果顯著性或慣用手的影響。然而，29個月的幼兒較17個月的嬰兒傾向以錯誤的手指和動作路徑重演實際觀察的操作動作。與黃他動作元素相較之下，操作動作是29個月的幼兒在模仿表現中優先重演的主要目標。本研究認為物體輪廓、動作路徑、區分反應部位和物體效應等皆可能影響示範動作的視覺動作複雜度。正確的模仿需要模仿者抑制觸摸物體的無關部份，同時需要注意示範者使用的反應部位和動作路律。上述二者的互動導致模仿者是否正確重演示範者的身體動作。

This study investigated the extent to which the goal-directed theory extends to object-related imitation in two younger groups of 17-and-29-month-old children (N=64 each). In all conditions, an adult model performed a series of two specific target actions with novel stimuli. Some children watched ipsilateral modeled actions, and some watched contralateral modeled actions. In each case, some children watched the actions make salient outcomes occur (flashes of light or a beeping sound), and some did not. As predicted, children of both ages displayed a preference for ipsilateral over contralateral reactions during contralateral trials. This preference was not swayed by either perceptual saliency or handedness. There also was evidence that preschoolers, but not the infants, exhibited a tendency to emulate a simplified copy of the original action at the cost of effector and hand path. These findings suggest that object configuration, hand path, effector discrimination and object affordances all play a possible role in determining the visuomotor complexity of the observed behavior. A faithful copy requires not only inhibiting contact with irrelevant parts of an object but also attending to a specific effector and hand path, both of which interact to reserve accurate replication of the demonstrator's response topography.