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Do infants avoid a traversable slope leading into deep water?
Carolina Burnay1,2, Chris Button1, Rita Cordovil3
1School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Developmental Psychobiology
|August 1, 2021
Summary
Infants’ locomotor experience does not prevent them from entering deep water via ramps. Sloped pool access increases drowning risk for babies, highlighting the specificity of learned safety behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Motor Development
- Water Safety
Background:
- Locomotor experience influences infants' risk perception, particularly concerning water hazards.
- Previous research indicates infants learn to avoid drop-offs, but their behavior on sloped surfaces is unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how locomotor experience affects infants' behavior on a sloped surface leading to deep water.
- To compare infants' responses to a water slope versus a water cliff.
Main Methods:
- A Water Slope paradigm was used with 43 crawling and 34 walking infants.
- Infants navigated a 10° sloped surface extending into deep water.
- Behavioral responses, including submersion and falls, were recorded.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between infants' locomotor experience and their avoidance of water submersion on the slope.
- A higher proportion of infants reached the submersion point on the water slope compared to falling off a water cliff.
- Infants showed less caution on the slope, indicating locomotor experience specificity.
Conclusions:
- Locomotor experience does not universally teach infants about all water-related risks.
- Sloped pool access may heighten the risk of infants entering deep water, increasing vulnerability to drowning.
- Infant water safety strategies are highly specific to the environmental context.
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