Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans
10:51

Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans

Published on: January 15, 2018

Proximodistal structure of early reaching in human infants

N E Berthier1, R K Clifton, D D McCall

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, USA. berthier@psych.umass.edu

Experimental Brain Research
|August 19, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Infants learning to reach simplify movements by using fewer degrees-of-freedom, primarily rotating their shoulders and torsos. This restricted movement aids in faster motor learning and skill acquisition.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Motor control
  • Infant kinematics

Background:

  • Early motor development involves complex coordination of multiple joints.
  • Understanding the initial strategies infants use for reaching is crucial for developmental studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the kinematic strategies infants employ when reaching for objects.
  • To investigate how movement complexity is managed during the early stages of reaching development.

Main Methods:

  • Kinematic analysis of reaching movements in nine infants.
  • Observation of infants reaching for a toy while seated.

Main Results:

  • Infants predominantly used shoulder and torso rotation for reaching.
  • Reaching paths showed corrections for earlier directional errors.
  • Consistent starting positions and peak speeds were observed across reaches for individual infants.

Conclusions:

  • Infants simplify reaching by limiting degrees-of-freedom, facilitating motor learning.
  • Proximodistal maturation of neural and muscular systems constrains arm movements, aiding learning.

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