Infants and toddlers discriminate amount: are they measuring?

Janellen Huttenlocher1, Sean Duffy, Susan Levine

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA. hutt@uchicago.edu

Related Concept Videos

Perceptual Development During Infancy01:30

Perceptual Development During Infancy

Perceptual development enables infants to organize and interpret sensory information, helping them understand objects, distances, and surfaces in their environment. Two important aspects are depth perception and haptic perception. These abilities develop as infants gain sensory experience and their nervous systems mature.Development of Depth PerceptionDepth perception is the ability to see objects and surfaces in three dimensions and judge their relative distance. Infants gradually learn to use...
Physical Growth During Infancy and Toddlerhood01:18

Physical Growth During Infancy and Toddlerhood

Physical growth is especially rapid during the first three years of life, with the greatest rate in the first few months after birth. Although children continue to gain height and weight throughout infancy and toddlerhood, the rate of growth gradually slows during the second and third years. At most ages, boys are typically slightly taller and heavier than girls, reflecting a common pattern of early physical development.Changes in Body ProportionsAs infants become toddlers, their body...
Hearing During Infancy and Toddlerhood01:29

Hearing During Infancy and Toddlerhood

Hearing begins developing before birth. Fetuses respond to sounds in the womb through changes in brain activity, heart rate, and body movements, showing sensitivity to auditory stimulation. After birth, hearing continues to develop rapidly, supporting language learning and environmental awareness.Auditory Acuity and Sound LocalizationAuditory acuity refers to the ability to detect sounds. Newborns are especially responsive to human voices and can detect many speech sounds, although their...
Imitation During Infancy and Toddlerhood01:27

Imitation During Infancy and Toddlerhood

Imitation is an important form of learning in early childhood, allowing children to learn new behaviors and participate in social interactions. Children imitate others for different purposes. They may copy adults and peers to learn skills and build social connections. Imitation becomes especially important toward the end of the first year.Early Development of ImitationPiaget observed that infants initially imitate actions they can see themselves perform, such as hand or foot movements. By about...
Perceiving Language Sounds and Structure During Infancy01:20

Perceiving Language Sounds and Structure During Infancy

Infants are born with a predisposition to perceive and categorize basic linguistic sounds. Early in development, they can discriminate sounds from many languages and detect differences in rhythm and pattern. This sensitivity may begin before birth. Newborns exposed to two languages prenatally can recognize both, indicating that fetal language exposure influences later auditory discrimination.Recognition of Familiar SoundsBy five months, infants show preferences for familiar auditory stimuli,...
Hand Control During Infancy and Toddlerhood01:31

Hand Control During Infancy and Toddlerhood

Hand movements during infancy and toddlerhood develop from broad, relatively uncontrolled actions into increasingly precise fine motor skills. This progression depends on nervous system maturation, improved muscle control, and repeated interaction with objects. Early reflexive movements gradually give way to intentional reaching, grasping, object manipulation, and tool use.Early Grasping SkillsNewborns show a strong palmar grasp reflex, automatically closing their fingers when the palm is...