Being able to follow someone or something can be a useful skill when copying the exact same thing is necessary. At other times the ability to break a skill down into its component steps is more important because the environment demands a greater level of independence and there is no value in being able to do the same thing as someone else or everyone else. Yet there is. Being able to tie your shoes has value. Just like it does for everyone else. Being able to drive a car has value. Just like it does for everyone else. But. The necessary equipment might not be available all the time. Being able to drive a car and having rote learnt how to do that can be really important if you live in a place with limited public transport, long distances to travel or a need to have personal versus group transport.
When does imitation become easy versus when does it become a skill that is easily learnt? One is linked to the other. The skill of being able to imitate is different that the isolated skill of imitating someone performing a particular action or task. Imitating is a core part of learning how to learn but it isn’t everything. Yet it is. The words that we used to describe how we learn need to be broken down into each isolated verb so that we can accurately comment or label on the precise list of physical and cognitive steps to complete a task. Yet there are other types of steps that are being excluded in this description. Is imitation a physical skill or is it something that requires thinking? Yet is it not just copying someone?