Takes a look at early variation in imitation and discusses how it might be interpreted. Observations made in 3 Swedish studies are presented, and argues that combined data make it difficult to dismiss the observed variation in imitation as only error variance. The 1st part of this chapter provides a brief description of some basic assumptions. Next, the author presents empirical observations of variation in the imitative responses of neonates and young infants. The final part of this chapter is a discussion of how the role of the nervous system in the occurrence of neonatal imitation might be envisioned.