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The Development of Prospective Grasping Control Between 5 and 7 Months: A Longitudinal Study

David C Witherington1

  • 1Department of Psychology University of New Mexico.

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
|January 12, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Infants develop visually guided grasping between 5 and 7.5 months. Their hand orientation transitions from tactile feedback reliance to visual anticipation for object manipulation.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Motor control
  • Infant perception

Background:

  • Infants visually guide grasp by 7 months, preorienting hands to match object orientation.
  • Evidence for prospective grasp control via anticipatory hand orientation in younger infants is mixed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally examine the development of anticipatory hand orientation in infants.
  • To investigate the transition in grasp control from tactile to visual guidance.

Main Methods:

  • 15 infants were observed every 3 weeks between 5 and 7.5 months.
  • Infants reached for vertically and horizontally oriented objects.
  • Hand orientation at first contact, before tactile feedback, was measured.

Main Results:

  • Infants showed a qualitative transition in prospective grasp control between 5 and 7 months.
  • This suggests a developmental shift in grasp control mechanisms.
  • Grasp control appears to become visually, rather than tactually, based.

Conclusions:

  • Prospective grasp control emerges developmentally.
  • The shift towards visual guidance supports anticipatory hand orientation.
  • Understanding this developmental trajectory informs theories of motor skill acquisition.

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