This study evaluates the necessity of training multiple versus single manipulative-imitations per object in order to establish generalized manipulative-imitation. Training took place in Croyden Avenue School's Early Childhood Developmental Delay preschool classroom in Kalamazoo, MI. Two groups of 3 children each were trained to imitate in order to determine the most appropriate number of manipulations required (per object) to establish a generalized manipulative-imitation repertoire. Three children received single-manipulations training, and 3 children received multiple-manipulations training. It was anticipated that the multiple-manipulations training group would acquire a greater amount of generalized manipulative-imitation because the training required that the children discriminate between at least 2 different manipulations for each trained object, therefore, ensuring that the children's responding would be under imitative stimulus control rather than just object stimulus control.

The manipulative-imitation training resulted in the successful training of 6 imitative manipulations for each child, in both groups. Additionally, all children demonstrated at least some generalized manipulative-imitation. The children who received multiple manipulative-imitation training demonstrated more generalized manipulative-imitation than those in the single-manipulations training group. Furthermore, manipulative-imitation training resulted in some generalized physical-imitation with all children and even some generalized vocal-imitation with the three multiple-manipulations children.