Final answer:
Deferred imitation indicates that children have formed mental representations of observed behaviors, which they can replicate later, demonstrating the cognitive aspect of learning through observation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The presence of deferred imitation suggests that children have mentally represented behavior patterns. Deferred imitation is the ability to reproduce a behavior observed at an earlier time without the model being present.
This indicates that the child has formed a mental representation of the behavior. Observational learning, as suggested by Bandura, includes steps such as attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. It is reinforced by vicarious reinforcement, where observing a model getting rewarded makes the behavior more likely to be imitated by the observer.
This process of learning is aided by mirror neurons that fire when we perform an action or when we see someone else perform the same action, facilitating the imitation of behaviors.