``This helps a lot but I'm trying to figure out why you separate the imitative and the kinesthetic?'' Alan Rudy
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I associate imitative behavior with the visual and auditory systems, especially audio---and of course voice. The kinesthetic system is somehow more ontic, more rudimentary (or fundamental) and less meditated as it were. I think for infants, they have to explore in touch and motion and forces through the activities of their neuromuscular and motor system. They don't seem to be imitating anything. Rather they seem to be trying out different movements and possible motions driven internally on some schedule. I think of it as doing physics with your body... Well, doing physics experiments like rhythmatically jumping in the crib holding on to bars, or turning the crib into a damned climbing gym.
There is another agenda too. It was suggested by the ontogentic crowd associated with the Structuralist. Most philosophy is hatched not grown. It doesn't seem to have much base in the organic world of the developing mind. So it was Piaget's goal to find an organic developmental base for a ontology and theory of mind. I think that effort, regardless of the rightness or wrongness of Piaget, is a very fruitful place to start. That's why I find a lot of the stuff in Kenneally interesting and helpful.
On the other hand a lot of the cognitive and neuroscience crowd seem a little dense on basic theoretical problems related to the philosophical traditions, and the older social sciences anthro, psych, sociology---which I think are very helpful. Kenneally makes mention of the necessity of cross collaboration and multiple fields coming together. That's the underlying purpose of her book---to bring awareness up to speed...
But I noticed so far (223p) the kinesthetic system is hardly mentioned. Yet there are whole schools of education theory that make great use of this system for learning. The educational psychology people are definitely on the low end of this elaborate star-studded hierarchy and study. And yet it is this lowly crowd who have the most experience with the developing mind and childhood learning---which I think hold much to understanding language and thought.
CG