Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

17.6K
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.
17.6K
Group Design02:01

Group Design

10.3K
The most basic experimental design involves two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The two groups are designed to be the same except for one difference— experimental manipulation. The experimental group gets the experimental manipulation—that is, the treatment or variable being tested—and the control group does not. Since experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, we can be sure that any differences between...
10.3K
Action Potential01:31

Action Potential

4.4K
Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
4.4K
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

10.8K
Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
10.8K
Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

141.7K
Overview
141.7K
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness01:14

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

2.5K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
2.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Infants' Multimodal Requests and Protests Elicit Responses From Mothers During Everyday Home Activities.

Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·2026
Same author

Preface.

Advances in child development and behavior·2026
Same author

Infants Adapt Sitting to a Decreasing Base of Support.

Infancy : the official journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·2026
Same author

Step by Step, Day by Day: The First 3 Months of Infant Walking at Home.

Developmental psychobiology·2026
Same author

How infants learn (to walk): Transitions are a fundamental component of practice.

Developmental psychology·2026
Same author

A transdisciplinary process-oriented approach to evaluate infant exposure to indoor dust.

Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology·2026
Same journal

Executive function and social behavior: Causal evidence from loading working memory and inhibitory control.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same journal

Correction to "Your research is public engagement: A case for more intentional science communication in research with human subjects" by Vaughn (2026).

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same journal

Correction to "Costs and benefits of acting extraverted: A randomized controlled trial" by Jacques-Hamilton et al. (2019).

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same journal

Conveying (discrete) emotionality with novel words.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same journal

Physical actions shape moral choices: Environment-directed movements reduce cheating in young children.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same journal

From chunks to schemas: Learning in the Hebb repetition paradigm.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task
11:18

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task

Published on: June 1, 2015

11.1K

Learning the designed actions of everyday objects.

Jaya Rachwani1, Catherine S Tamis-LeMonda2, Jeffrey J Lockman1

  • 1Department of Psychology.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|June 21, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Young children learn to use everyday objects through a developmental process, moving from random actions to understanding designed uses. Successful object manipulation develops with age, influenced by body-environment interactions.

More Related Videos

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
14:38

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

12.2K
Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in Mice
08:52

Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in Mice

Published on: August 30, 2017

77.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task
11:18

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task

Published on: June 1, 2015

11.1K
Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning
14:38

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

12.2K
Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in Mice
08:52

Novel Object Recognition Test for the Investigation of Learning and Memory in Mice

Published on: August 30, 2017

77.2K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Child Psychology
  • Human-Artifact Interaction

Background:

  • Children's understanding of "hidden affordances" in everyday objects is not well understood.
  • Adults easily grasp designed actions, but the learning process for young children remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how young children learn to use everyday artifacts as designed.
  • To examine the role of body-environment fit in children's learning of designed actions.

Main Methods:

  • 115 children aged 11–37 months participated in two experiments.
  • Children were encouraged to open circular jars with twist-off lids and rectangular containers with pull-off lids.
  • Container size was varied to assess body-environment fit effects.

Main Results:

  • A developmental progression was observed from non-designed to designed actions.
  • As children aged, non-designed actions decreased while performance of designed actions increased.
  • Successful implementation of designed actions lagged behind the performance of these actions.

Conclusions:

  • Children's learning of artifact affordances follows a developmental trajectory.
  • Body-environment factors significantly influence children's ability to learn and use designed actions.
  • Challenges in manipulation and stabilization affect successful implementation, especially with varying object sizes.