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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
Object exploration facilitates 4-month-olds' mental rotation performance.
Lauren K Slone1, David S Moore2, Scott P Johnson3
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington IN, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 10, 2018
Summary
Infants
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Infant Perception
- Object Recognition
Background:
- Infant mental rotation (MR) development is not fully understood.
- Visual and manual object experience may facilitate MR skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of object exploration in infant mental rotation.
- To determine if early manual interaction enhances MR abilities.
Main Methods:
- Eighty 4-month-olds participated in object exploration using "sticky mittens".
- Infants completed a visual habituation task to assess MR.
- Two groups: object exploration before (Mittens First) or after (Mittens Second) MR task.
Main Results:
- Infants in the Mittens First group with high object engagement showed stronger MR evidence.
- No consistent correlation between object engagement and MR in the Mittens Second group.
- Minimal sex differences observed in MR performance.
Conclusions:
- Object exploration experience significantly contributes to the development of infant mental rotation.
- Early manual interaction with objects appears crucial for enhancing MR skills.
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