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Development of means-end behavior in young infants: pulling a support to retrieve a distant object
1Department of Psychology, University of Dundee, Scotland.
Insights
Infant development shows intentional means-end behavior emerges between 6-7 months. By 8 months, babies adjust actions to reach goals, confirming Piaget
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Development
- Infant Behavior
Background:
- Means-end behavior is crucial for problem-solving in infants.
- Understanding the developmental trajectory of intentional actions is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emergence and development of means-end behavior in infants aged 6-8 months.
- To examine factors influencing intentional means-end actions, such as goal presence and object proximity.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking 6-8-month-old infants.
- Infants were presented with means-end tasks requiring pulling a cloth to retrieve a toy.
- Performance was assessed based on the production of means-end sequences and adjustments to task parameters.
Main Results:
- Intentional means-end behavior increased significantly between 6 and 7 months.
- Seven-month-olds showed goal-directed behavior, retrieving toys more often than not.
- Eight-month-olds demonstrated adaptive behavior, adjusting their actions based on toy distance.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms Piaget's theory on the shift to intentional means-end behavior.
- Development of means-end behavior involves learning the relationship between actions and outcomes.
- Infant cognitive development includes understanding goal-subgoal relationships and environmental factors.
Abstract:
Three longitudinal studies are reported in which 6-8-month-old infants were tested on means-end problems involving pulling a cloth to retrieve a toy. Production of intentional means-end behavior increased between 6 and 7 months, but although 6-month-olds' behavior was unaffected by the presence or absence of a toy on the cloth, 7-month-olds more often produced means-end sequences when a toy could be retrieved. Infants' performance remained the same when the cloth was either attached to the toy or separate, suggesting that goal-subgoal conflict does not interfere with performance of means-end sequences. By 8 months, infants could appropriately adjust their means-end behavior to the distance of the toy. These results confirm J. Piaget's (1953) original description of a shift from transitional to intentional means-end behavior and suggest that development of means-end behavior involves acquisition of knowledge of appropriate means-end relations.