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How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns
Published on: October 24, 2019
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Identifying peripersonal space boundaries in newborns
Giulia Orioli1,2, Alessandro Santoni3, Danica Dragovic4
1School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom. g.orioli@bham.ac.uk.
Scientific Reports
|June 30, 2019
Summary
Newborns exhibit rudimentary peripersonal space soon after birth. Sound intensity influences reaction times, suggesting a critical distance boundary for this early sensory-motor space.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Sensory Perception
- Cognitive Development
Background:
- Peripersonal space is the body-centric sensory-motor interface for environmental interactions.
- The early development and boundaries of peripersonal space in newborns are poorly understood.
- Understanding early peripersonal space is crucial for infant interaction and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if peripersonal space is a defined spatial boundary shortly after birth.
- To explore the role of auditory cues in shaping newborns' perception of peripersonal space.
Main Methods:
- Measured newborns' saccadic reaction times to tactile stimuli presented with simultaneous sounds of varying intensities.
- Analyzed reaction time changes in relation to sound intensity to infer spatial perception.
Main Results:
- Newborns' saccadic reaction times were significantly faster to tactile stimuli when accompanied by louder sounds above a critical intensity.
- This pattern of faster reactions to louder sounds mirrors adult responses, suggesting distance-based processing.
- Sound intensity alone appears to cue distance perception in newborns.
Conclusions:
- Newborns demonstrate a rudimentary peripersonal space with a potential boundary defined by sound intensity.
- This early peripersonal space may guide attention towards salient events and individuals.
- Findings suggest peripersonal space is established very early in postnatal life.
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