Which substage occurs 8-12 months and is characterized by imitating observed behaviors and demonstrating intentional behaviors?

• A. Primary circular reactions
• B. Secondary circular reactions
• C. Coordination of Reactions
• D. Tertiary circular reactions

Answer: (B)

At eight to twelve months, babies begin to act with intentionality by coordinating actions to achieve a goal. They can imitate behaviors they observe in others, showing that they’re not just repeating actions they’ve learned by chance, but planning and combining what they know to get a desired result. This stage, often described as coordinating secondary circular reactions, marks a shift from repeating actions for their own sake to using learned schemes together to solve problems. Earlier, around four to eight months, infants mainly repeat actions that produce pleasant surprises, without the deliberate coordination or imitation you see here. Later, after twelve months, they start to explore more variably and experiment with new ways of acting.