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An observational study of the affective concomitants of mastery in infants

L C Mayes1, E Zigler

  • 1Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT 06510.

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|May 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Infants show more positive emotions like smiling and laughing when learning new motor skills, such as pulling to stand. This joy in mastery motivation persists even as skills become well-practiced.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Infant Motor Development

Background:

  • Motor skill acquisition is a key developmental milestone in infancy.
  • Early experiences with mastery attempts may shape future learning and emotional regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between attempts at motor skill mastery and positive affective responses in 9-11-month-old infants.
  • To determine if positive affect associated with new motor tasks diminishes with practice.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of five infants in a daycare setting over 82 hours.
  • Infants attempted age-appropriate motor tasks: pulling to stand, standing with support, and taking steps with support.
  • Positive affective behaviors (smiling, babbling, laughing) were recorded and compared between new and well-practiced motor tasks.

Main Results:

  • The hypothesis was confirmed: infants displayed significantly more positive affect when attempting new motor tasks compared to well-practiced ones.
  • No decrease in positive affect was observed as infants practiced and mastered the motor tasks.
  • Individual differences in mastery motivation were noted.

Conclusions:

  • Learning new motor skills is intrinsically rewarding for infants, characterized by sustained positive affect.
  • Early mastery motivation appears to be a stable trait, potentially influencing later developmental competencies.
  • Findings support the continuity between early mastery motivation and later skill acquisition and emotional development.

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