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Common Coding of Observation and Execution of Action in 9-Month-Old Infants

Matthew R Longo1, Bennett I Bertenthal1

  • 1Department of Psychology University of Chicago.

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
|January 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Nine-month-old infants motorically simulate observed actions, exhibiting the A-not-B error even without active searching. This suggests infants understand others' actions through motor simulation, especially when the actions are similar to their own capabilities.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Infant Motor Development

Background:

  • The Piagetian A-not-B error is a key indicator of object permanence and cognitive development in infants.
  • Previous research suggests active infant search is necessary to elicit the A-not-B error.
  • Understanding how infants process observed actions is crucial for grasping social cognition and imitation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether observing actions is sufficient to trigger the A-not-B error in 9-month-old infants.
  • To determine if infants motorically simulate perceived actions.
  • To explore the role of action similarity in infant imitation and understanding.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted with 9-month-old infants.
  • Infants either actively retrieved a hidden toy or observed an experimenter retrieve it.
  • The A-not-B task paradigm was used, with reaching behaviors recorded and analyzed for perseveration and ipsilateral bias.

Main Results:

  • Infants demonstrated the A-not-B error after both active search and action observation, indicating active search is not required.
  • An ipsilateral reaching bias was observed, consistent with the 'mysterious midline barrier' phenomenon.
  • Infants showed perseveration after observing ipsilateral reaches by the experimenter, but not contralateral reaches.

Conclusions:

  • Action observation alone can elicit the A-not-B error in infants.
  • Infants appear to motorically simulate observed actions, coding them in terms of their own motor capabilities.
  • This suggests a strong link between perception and action in early cognitive development, supporting theories of motor simulation.

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