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On a multistable dynamic model of behavioral and perceptual infant development
T D Frank1, J van der Kamp, G J P Savelsbergh
1Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269, USA. till.frank@uconn.edu
Developmental Psychobiology
|March 3, 2010
Summary
Infant development involves competing behavioral and perceptual modes. Dynamic systems explain how early experiences and developmental stages determine which mode, like grasping or vision, becomes dominant.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Dynamical Systems Theory
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Infant development is characterized by the emergence of distinct behavioral and perceptual abilities.
- Previous models often treated behavioral and perceptual development separately.
- Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these emergent abilities is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a theoretical framework for understanding the emergence of mutually exclusive behavioral and perceptual patterns in infants.
- To apply the perspective of multistable competitive dynamic systems to infant development.
- To explain how different developmental modes compete for activation and how one emerges as dominant.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a theoretical approach based on multistable competitive dynamic systems.
- Modeling the competition between behavioral modes and perceptual variables.
- Analyzing the influence of developmental, body-scaled, and environmental parameters on mode selection.
- Examining specific examples such as two-handed grasping, catching, and the development of monocular and binocular vision.
Main Results:
- Behavioral modes and perceptual variables compete for activation, with only one mode being expressed at a time.
- The emergence of specific behaviors and perceptual abilities is not predetermined but depends on system parameters and initial conditions.
- Midline crossing movements in infants are influenced by body-scaled and developmental parameters.
- The onset of binocular vision is influenced by developmental and environmental parameters.
Conclusions:
- Multistable competitive dynamic systems provide a unified framework for understanding both behavioral and perceptual development in infants.
- The interplay of internal (developmental, body-scaled) and external (environmental) factors shapes infant capabilities.
- This approach offers novel insights into the emergence of complex motor skills and sensory processing in early development.
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