Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
03:56
A View of Their Own: Capturing the Egocentric View of Infants and Toddlers with Head-Mounted Cameras
Published on: October 5, 2018
7.9K
The Human Face Becomes Mapped as a Sensorimotor Reaching Space During the First Year
Lisa K Chinn1, Claire F Noonan1, Jeffrey J Lockman1
1Tulane University.
Child Development
|July 31, 2020
Summary
Infants initially struggle to reach targets on their face, first localizing perioral areas and reaching ipsilaterally. This study reveals how infant tactile remapping develops into integrated facial sensorimotor space.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
Background:
- Infants possess body structure representations but how they use self-representations for action is unclear.
- Understanding the development of sensorimotor integration is crucial for cognitive and motor development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the human face becomes a functional reaching space for infants.
- To explore the development of tactile remapping and sensorimotor coordination in early development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 24 infants aged 2-11 months.
- Testing reaching ability to vibrating targets placed on different facial locations.
- Analyzing the coordination of skin- and body-based location codes (tactile remapping).
Main Results:
- Infant facial representation is initially fragmented.
- Infants localized targets in the perioral region before other facial areas.
- Infants predominantly exhibited ipsilateral reaches to facial targets.
Conclusions:
- The face develops into an integrated sensorimotor space through a gradual process.
- Early infant reaching demonstrates specific developmental patterns in tactile remapping.
- Findings illuminate the developmental trajectory of self-representation for action in infants.
More Related Videos
11:14A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
Published on: October 4, 2015
11.3K
08:26Non-Invasive Modulation and Robotic Mapping of Motor Cortex in the Developing Brain
Published on: July 1, 2019
7.0K
Related Concept Videos
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
1.3K
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Exploration...
1.3K
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
8.3K
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
8.3K
01:33Somatosensation
42.7K
The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
42.7K
01:30Socioemotional Development during Infancy
318
Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Primary Temperament Types
318
01:14Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development
614
The preoperational stage, the second of Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development, spans approximately ages 2 to 7 and is characterized by the emergence of symbolic thinking. During this stage, children use language, images, and symbols to represent objects and concepts, enabling them to engage in imaginative and pretend play. This symbolic thinking supports children's ability to perform make-believe actions, such as imagining a broom as a horse or their hand as a phone, blending...
614
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
6.3K
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
6.3K