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Goal directedness and decision making in infants

Ben Kenward1, Sara Folke, Jacob Holmberg

  • 1Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. ben.kenward@wolfson.oxon.org

Developmental Psychology
|May 6, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Two-year-olds demonstrate decision-making skills by adjusting actions based on object value. Younger infants, however, do not show this sensitivity, suggesting developing cognitive processes for goal-directed behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Neuroscience

Background:

  • Goal-directed behavior involves motor planning and decision-making.
  • Infant decision-making capabilities, particularly integrating desire and knowledge, remain largely unexplored.
  • Understanding infant decision-making is crucial for developmental psychology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether 24-month-old infants exhibit decision-making by showing sensitivity to outcome value.
  • To determine the developmental trajectory of decision-making in infancy by comparing 14-, 19-, and 24-month-olds.
  • To explore the integration of desire and knowledge in infant goal-directed actions.

Main Methods:

  • Infants learned to retrieve an object by performing an action (pressing a button).
  • The object's value was manipulated (increased) for the experimental group.
  • Behavioral responses to retrieve the object after its disappearance were compared between groups.

Main Results:

  • 24-month-olds were more likely to repeat the action when the object's value had increased.
  • 14- and 19-month-olds did not show increased action initiation based on outcome value.
  • This suggests a developmental emergence of decision-making around 24 months.

Conclusions:

  • 24-month-olds demonstrate a hallmark of decision-making: sensitivity to outcome value.
  • Younger infants (14- and 19-month-olds) may lack the ability to integrate desire and knowledge for decision-making.
  • Further research is needed to pinpoint the exact cognitive mechanisms underlying this developmental shift.

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