I nā makahiki 60, ua hana ʻia nā haʻawina ethological mua o ka ʻano o nā keiki. Ua hoʻokō ʻia kekahi mau hana nui ma kēia wahi e N. Blairton Jones, P. Smith a me C. Connolly, W. McGrew. ʻO ka mea mua i wehewehe i kekahi mau hiʻohiʻona mimic, hoʻopaʻapaʻa a pale i nā keiki a koho i ka pāʻani goo ma ke ʻano he ʻano kūʻokoʻa o ka ʻano [Blurton Jones, 1972]. Ua hana ka hope i nā hiʻohiʻona kikoʻī o ka ʻano o nā keiki mai ʻelua makahiki ʻeiwa mahina a ʻehā makahiki ʻeiwa mahina ma ka home a ma ke kula kindergarten (ma ka hui o nā mākua a me ka ʻole o lākou) a hōʻike i ke ʻano o nā ʻokoʻa kāne i ka nohona pili kanaka. Ua manaʻo pū lākou e hiki ke wehewehe ʻia nā ʻokoʻa o kēlā me kēia kanaka ma ke kumu o ka ʻikepili e pili ana i nā hōʻike o waho [Smith, Connolly, 1972]. Ua hāʻawi ʻo W. McGrew i kāna puke "The Ethological Study of Children's Behavior" i kahi ethogram kikoʻī o ka ʻano o nā keiki a hōʻoia i ka hoʻohana ʻana o nā manaʻo ethological a me nā manaʻo, e like me ke aupuni, territoriality, ka mana o ka paʻa o ka hui ma ka nohona kaiaulu, a me ke ʻano o ka nānā [McGrew, 1972]. Ma mua o kēia, ua manaʻo ʻia kēia mau manaʻo e pili ana i nā holoholona a ua hoʻohana nui ʻia e nā primatologists. A ethological kālailai 'ana o ka hoʻokūkū a me ka dominance ma waena o preschoolers i hiki ke hoʻoholo i ka dominance hierarchy i loko o ia mau hui e hoʻolohe i nā lula o ka linear transitivity, ua hoʻokumu koke ia i ka manawa o ka hoʻokumu 'ana i ka hui kaiaulu a noho paʻa i ka manawa. ʻOiaʻiʻo, mamao loa ka pilikia mai ka hoʻoholo pihaʻana, no ka mea,ʻo kaʻikepili o nā mea kākau likeʻole e kuhikuhi i nāʻano likeʻole o kēia hanana. Wahi a kekahi manaʻo, pili pono ka mana i ka makemake i ke komo ʻana i nā kumuwaiwai liʻiliʻi [Strayer, Strayer, 1976; Charlesworth a me Lafreniere 1983]. Wahi a nā poʻe ʻē aʻe - me ka hiki ke launa pū me nā hoa a hoʻonohonoho i nā pilina pili kaiaulu, e hoʻohuli i ka manaʻo (ko mākou ʻikepili i nā keiki Lūkini a me Kalmyk).
He wahi koʻikoʻi i ka hana ma ka ethology o nā keiki i noho ʻia e nā haʻawina o ka kamaʻilio waha ʻole. ʻO ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ʻōnaehana coding hoʻoneʻe helehelena i hoʻomohala ʻia e P. Ekman lāua ʻo W. Friesen i ʻae iā G. Oster e hoʻokumu i hiki i nā pēpē ke hana i nā mimic muscular neʻe maʻamau o nā pākeke [Oster, 1978]. ʻO ka nānāʻana i nā hiʻohiʻona o nā keiki iʻikeʻia a me nā makapō i loko o ka pōʻaiapili kūlohelohe o ka hana o ke ao [Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1973] a me nā hopena o nā keiki i nā hanana hoʻokolohua [Charlesworth, 1970] alakaʻi i ka hopena i hoʻoneleʻia nā keiki makapō i ka hiki ke Hōʻike ka ʻike maka i nā hiʻohiʻona like i nā kūlana like. ʻO ka nānā ʻana i nā keiki mai ʻelua a ʻelima mau makahiki ua hiki ke kamaʻilio e pili ana i ka hoʻonui ʻia o ka repertoire maʻamau o nā ʻōlelo mimic ʻokoʻa [Abramovitch, Marvin, 1975]. I ka ulu ʻana o ka mākau pilikanaka o kahi keiki, ma waena o nā makahiki 2,5 a me 4,5 mau makahiki, ua piʻi pū kekahi i ka pinepine o ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka minoʻaka kaiaulu [Cheyne, 1976]. ʻO ka hoʻohanaʻana i nāʻano ethological i ka nānāʻana i nā kaʻina hana hoʻomohala i hōʻoia i ka loaʻaʻana o kahi kumu maoli no ka uluʻana o nā hiʻohiʻona kanaka [Hiatt et al, 1979]. C. Tinbergen noi ethological hana i loko o ke keiki psychiatry e kālailai i ka phenomena o autism i loko o nā keiki, e kahakii ana i ka noonoo ana i ka mea e pale aku i ka nana, typical no autistic keiki, ke kumu o ka makau i ka pilikanaka.