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The development of reaching and looking preferences in infants to objects of different sizes
C Newman1, J Atkinson, O Braddick
1Department of Psychology, University College London, England. christopher.newman@ucl.ac.uk
Insights
Infants aged 5-15 months show distinct looking and reaching preferences for objects of different sizes. This developmental dissociation highlights early visual processing stream development for action versus orienting.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Infant Motor Development
Background:
- Understanding infant visual perception and motor control is crucial for developmental studies.
- Early object interaction provides insights into cognitive and motor system maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in infant looking and reaching preferences for objects of varying sizes.
- To explore the kinematic characteristics of object-oriented actions in infants.
- To examine potential dissociations in developing visual processing streams.
Main Methods:
- Recorded reaching and looking preferences in 5-15-month-old infants across three age groups.
- Presented infants with pairs of small (1 cm), medium (2.5 cm), and large (6 cm) diameter cylinders.
- Analyzed movement kinematics during object interaction.
Main Results:
- Infants (5-12 months) preferred initially looking at larger objects.
- Infants (8.5-12 months) showed a preference for reaching towards smaller, graspable objects.
- Kinematic analysis revealed a slower reach and extended 'homing-in' phase for object-oriented actions.
Conclusions:
- Infant looking and reaching preferences diverge with age, suggesting developmental dissociation.
- This dissociation may reflect separate development of visual streams for object-related action and visual orienting.
- Early object interaction kinematics provide insights into the emergence of goal-directed motor control.
Abstract:
Reaching and looking preferences and movement kinematics were recorded in 5-15-month-old infants, who were divided into 3 age groups. Infants were presented with pairs of cylinders of 3 different diameters: small (1-cm diameter), medium (2.5-cm diameter), and large (6-cm diameter). Whereas infants between 5 and 12 months of age showed a preference for looking first at the large object, a significant preference for reaching to smaller (graspable) objects was observed in 81/2-12-month-old infants. Kinematic measures suggest that the onset of object-oriented action requires a slowing down of the reach and an extended "homing-in" phase. The divergent looking and reaching preferences in infants at different ages may reflect a dissociation during development of visual processing streams subserving object-related action from those related to visual orienting.