By the age of 3, Viki had begun to imitate her human “parents” quite frequently while playing. This imitation provided Viki with an opportunity to learn both playful and practical skills, without using trial-and-error methods. Her imitation included activities related to everyday household chores.

Viki had little experience with any tools whatsoever when she first became interested in helping with “grownup” tasks. She had almost NO experience with a saw and apparently picked up on its purpose from watching it in use. She is shown here, at age 6, sawing at pieces of wood and a box.