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Body-centered representations for visually-guided action emerge during early infancy

R O Gilmore¹, M H Johnson

¹Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. rogilmore@psu.edu

|February 10, 1998

Summary

Infant spatial representations for visually guided actions develop after birth. Younger infants use eye-centered coordinates, while older infants use body-centered coordinates, suggesting development through experience.

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Area of Science:

Developmental psychology
Neuroscience
Cognitive science

Background:

Understanding the origins of spatial representation is crucial for developmental psychology.
Previous research suggested body-centered representations might be innate.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the developmental trajectory of spatial representations in infants.
To determine if body-centered spatial coordinates are present from birth.

Main Methods:

Applied a 'double-step' saccade paradigm to 3- and 7-month-old infants.
Analyzed saccade execution in relation to target location and prior eye movements.

Main Results:

Seven-month-old infants demonstrated body-centered spatial representations, similar to adults.

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Three-month-old infants primarily used retinocentric (eye-centered) spatial representations.

Younger infants did not account for saccadic displacement effects.

Conclusions:

Body-centered spatial representations for action emerge after birth, not present from birth.
Experience likely plays a significant role in the development of these spatial representations.
Findings challenge prevailing views on the innate nature of body-centered spatial mapping.