Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2025
11:18
Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task
Published on: June 1, 2015
10.7K
Equifinality in infancy: The many paths to walking
Joshua L Schneider1, Jana M Iverson1
1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Developmental Psychobiology
|February 22, 2023
Summary
Infants exhibit diverse developmental paths to walking, with varied practice in crawling and supported upright movement. Locomotor development shows significant individual variability regardless of when walking onset occurs.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Motor Development
- Infant Locomotion
Background:
- Human development often involves multiple pathways to achieve similar outcomes.
- Understanding the specific routes to infant walking onset is crucial for developmental research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diverse patterns of infant locomotion leading to the onset of walking.
- To analyze the variability in movement strategies employed by infants before they start walking independently.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 30 prewalking infants over two months prior to walking onset.
- Observation of infant locomotion patterns during everyday home activities.
- Quantification of time spent in prone (crawling) versus upright supported (cruising/supported walking) positions.
Main Results:
- Significant variability observed in infants' practice of crawling, cruising, and supported walking.
- Some infants showed balanced practice, while others specialized or switched between methods.
- Infants generally spent more movement time in upright supported positions than in prone positions.
Conclusions:
- Infants follow numerous distinct and variable paths to achieve walking onset.
- Locomotor development is characterized by individual differences in movement strategy and practice.
- The age of walking onset does not dictate the specific developmental trajectory followed.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Indirect Motor Pathways
1.6K
The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
1.6K
01:18Hierarchy of Motor Control
3.0K
The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.
3.0K
01:11Direct Motor Pathways
2.2K
The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and...
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and...
2.2K
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
713
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.
713
01:21The Nativist Approach
96
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...
96
01:22Language Development
420
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
420