Related Experiment Videos
A study of reaching actions in walking infants
Jill A Dosso1, Sandra V Herrera2, J Paul Boudreau2
1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada.
Insights
Infant walkers flexibly coordinate reaching and walking to retrieve objects. Older walking experience enhances retrieval speed and non-reaching hand use, showing developmental integration of motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Motor control
- Infant cognition
Background:
- Motor skill acquisition significantly impacts infant perception and exploration.
- Understanding the integration of newly acquired motor skills is crucial for developmental insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the integration of reaching and walking in infant walkers.
- To observe how infants coordinate upper and lower body movements for object retrieval.
Main Methods:
- A walk-to-reach paradigm was employed with 23 infants (14.5-15.5 months).
- Object retrieval strategies were analyzed, focusing on upper and lower body coordination and walking age.
Main Results:
- All infants demonstrated coordinated upper and lower body movements during object retrieval.
- Infants with more walking experience (older walking age) retrieved objects faster.
- More experienced walkers utilized their non-reaching hand more effectively.
Conclusions:
- Infants flexibly integrate emerging motor skills, such as walking and reaching.
- The coordination between upper and lower body actions is adaptable and develops over time.
- This study reveals novel insights into the integration of motor skills during early development.
Abstract:
Acquiring motor skills transforms the perceptual and cognitive world of infants and expands their exploratory engagement with objects. This study investigated how reaching is integrated with walking among infant walkers (n=23, 14.5-15.5 months). In a walk-to-reach paradigm, diverse object retrieval strategies were observed. All infants were willing to use their upper and lower bodies in concert, and the timing of this coordination reflected features of their environment. Infants with an older walking age (months since walking onset) retrieved items more rapidly and exploited their non-reaching hand more effectively during object retrieval than did same-age infants with a younger walking age. This suggests that the actions of the upper- and lower-body are flexibly integrated and that this integration may change across development. Mechanisms that shape sophisticated upper-body use during upright object retrieval are discussed. Infants flexibly integrate emerging motor skills in the service of object retrieval in ways not previously documented.