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Updated: May 11, 2026
Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans
Published on: January 15, 2018
Object use affects motor planning in infant prehension
Annarita Contaldo1, Elisabetta Cola, Fabrizio Minichilli
1Neurorehabilitation Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Pisa, 67, Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy. annarita.contaldo@inpe.unipi.it
Insights
Infants
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology and neuroscience, focusing on infant motor skills and cognitive development.
Background:
- Understanding the development of object-oriented grasping is crucial for assessing early motor and cognitive abilities.
- Early motor planning skills are foundational for later complex actions and interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors influencing object-oriented grasping in infants aged 9-25 months.
- To examine the relationship between manual motor planning, functional object use, and infant-parent interaction.
Main Methods:
- Naturalistic observation of 19 healthy infants during play sessions with standard toys.
- Analysis of grasping behaviors focusing on object manipulation and interaction patterns.
Main Results:
- Infants demonstrate improved manual planning when using objects functionally versus non-functionally.
- Functional object use is significantly influenced by the quality of infant-parent interaction.
- Age did not impact the observed relationship between functional object use and manual planning.
Conclusions:
- The development of manual motor planning in infants is linked to understanding object properties and their functional uses.
- Infant-parent interaction plays a critical role in fostering functional object use and, consequently, motor planning.
- Future research should consider environmental context and social interaction when studying early motor development.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors underlying the ability to plan object-oriented grasping movements in the first two years of life. In particular, we were interested in evaluating the relationship between manual motor planning, object use and infant-parent interaction. In order to achieve this aim, grasping behaviors of nineteen healthy infants, aged nine to 25 months, were examined during naturalistic play sessions with a standard set of toys. Our main finding was that, regardless of age, infants perform a better manual planning when they use an object in a functional rather than non-functional way, suggesting that the planning of an action also depends on knowing the functional properties of an object. In addition, we found that the ability to use objects in a functional way was strongly affected by infant-parent interaction. Thus, level of object use and environmental role must be taken into account in order to understand the development of manual motor planning.
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