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Specificity of learning: why infants fall over a veritable cliff
1Psychology Department, New York University, 6 Washington Pl., Room 401, New York, NY 10003, USA. adolph@psych.nyu.edu
Psychological Science
|March 29, 2001
Summary
Nine-month-old infants avoid risky gaps when sitting but fall when crawling, indicating posture-specific motor control. Avoidance relies on postural stability, not general fear of heights.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Motor Control
- Infant Behavior
Background:
- Infants' ability to perceive and navigate environmental risks is crucial for development.
- Previous research suggested general knowledge influences depth perception and avoidance behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how postural experience influences infants' avoidance of risky gaps.
- To determine the basis of adaptive avoidance responses in infants.
Main Methods:
- Nine-month-old infants were tested on their reaching and avoidance responses to gaps in their support surface.
- Responses were compared between a familiar sitting posture and a less familiar crawling posture.
Main Results:
- Infants avoided risky gaps in the sitting posture.
- Infants fell into risky gaps while reaching in the crawling posture.
- This dissociation highlights posture-specific control systems.
Conclusions:
- Infants' avoidance responses are based on specific information about postural stability relative to gap size.
- Developmental changes in posture involve modularly organized control systems.
- Avoidance of depth disparities is not solely dependent on general knowledge like fear of heights.
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