1
|
Wermelinger S, Moersdorf L, Daum MM. Automatic imitation in school-aged children. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 238:105797. [PMID: 37922702 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Children imitate others for different reasons: To learn from others and to reach social goals such as affiliation or prosociality. So far, imitative acts have been measured using diverging methods in children and adults. Here, we investigated whether school-aged children's imitation can be measured via their automatic imitation with a classical imitation-inhibition task (Brass et al., 2000) as has been used in adults. To this end, we measured automatic imitation in N=94 7-8-year-olds and N=10 adults. The results were similar in children and adults: Observing actions that are incongruent with participants' actions interferes with their responses resulting in increased reaction times and error rates. This shows that assessing automatic imitation via the imitation-inhibition task is feasible in children, and creates the basis for future studies to compare the behaviour of different age groups with the same imitation task.
Collapse
|
2
|
Sacheli LM, Roberti E, Turati C. Encoding interactive scripts at 10 months of age. J Exp Child Psychol 2023; 227:105588. [PMID: 36512919 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Understanding action-reaction associations that give origin to interactive scripts (e.g., give-and-take interactions) is essential for appreciating social exchanges. However, studies on infants' action understanding have mainly investigated the case of actions performed by individual agents. Moreover, although extensive literature has explored infants' comprehension of action-effect relationships in object functioning, no study has addressed whether it also plays a role when observing social interactions, an issue we addressed here. In a first study, 10-month-old infants observed short videos of dyadic exchanges. We investigated whether they were able to link specific human gestures directed toward another person to specific vocal reactions in the receiver. We used a double-habituation paradigm in which infants were sequentially habituated to two specific action-reaction associations. In the test phase, infants watched one of the two habituated (Familiar) videos, a video with a reversed action-reaction association (Violation), and a Novel video. Results showed that the infants looked longer at both the Novel and Violation test trials than at the Familiar test trials. In a control study, we show that these results could not be accounted for by associative learning; indeed, learning of the action-reaction association did not occur when the vocalization was not produced by the receiver but only contingent on the agent's action. Thus, we show that 10-month-old infants can encode specific social action-effect relationships during the observation of dyadic interactions and that the interactivity of the social context may be critical to shaping young infants' understanding of others' behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Maria Sacheli
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Elisa Roberti
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Manzi F, Ishikawa M, Di Dio C, Itakura S, Kanda T, Ishiguro H, Massaro D, Marchetti A. Infants’ Prediction of Humanoid Robot’s Goal-Directed Action. Int J Soc Robot 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12369-022-00941-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSeveral studies have shown that infants anticipate human goal-directed actions, but not robot’s ones. However, the studies focusing on the robot goal-directed actions have mainly analyzed the effect of mechanical arms on infant’s attention. To date, the prediction of goal-directed actions in infants has not yet been studied when the agent is a humanoid robot. Given this lack of evidence in infancy research, the present study aims at analyzing infants’ action anticipation of both a human’s and a humanoid robot’s goal-directed action. Data were acquired on thirty 17-month-old infants, watching four video clips, where either a human or a humanoid robot performed a goal-directed action, i.e. reaching a target. Infants looking behavior was measured through the eye-tracking technique. The results showed that infants anticipated the goal-directed action of both the human and the robot and there were no differences in the anticipatory gaze behavior between the two agents. Furthermore, the findings indicated different attentional patterns for the human and the robot, showing a greater attention paid to the robot's face than the human’s face. Overall, the results suggest that 17-month-old infants may infer also humanoid robot’ underlying action goals.
Collapse
|
4
|
Wilson VAD, Zuberbühler K, Bickel B. The evolutionary origins of syntax: Event cognition in nonhuman primates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn8464. [PMID: 35731868 PMCID: PMC9216513 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn8464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Languages tend to encode events from the perspective of agents, placing them first and in simpler forms than patients. This agent bias is mirrored by cognition: Agents are more quickly recognized than patients and generally attract more attention. This leads to the hypothesis that key aspects of language structure are fundamentally rooted in a cognition that decomposes events into agents, actions, and patients, privileging agents. Although this type of event representation is almost certainly universal across languages, it remains unclear whether the underlying cognition is uniquely human or more widespread in animals. Here, we review a range of evidence from primates and other animals, which suggests that agent-based event decomposition is phylogenetically older than humans. We propose a research program to test this hypothesis in great apes and human infants, with the goal to resolve one of the major questions in the evolution of language, the origins of syntax.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa A. D. Wilson
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland
| | - Balthasar Bickel
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pomiechowska B, Csibra G. Nonverbal Action Interpretation Guides Novel Word Disambiguation in 12-Month-Olds. Open Mind (Camb) 2022; 6:51-76. [DOI: 10.1162/opmi_a_00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Whether young infants can exploit sociopragmatic information to interpret new words is a matter of debate. Based on findings and theories from the action interpretation literature, we hypothesized that 12-month-olds should distinguish communicative object-directed actions expressing reference from instrumental object-directed actions indicative of one’s goals, and selectively use the former to identify referents of novel linguistic expressions. This hypothesis was tested across four eye-tracking experiments. Infants watched pairs of unfamiliar objects, one of which was first targeted by either a communicative action (e.g., pointing) or an instrumental action (e.g., grasping) and then labeled with a novel word. As predicted, infants fast-mapped the novel words onto the targeted objects after pointing (Experiments 1 and 4) but not after grasping (Experiment 2) unless the grasping action was preceded by an ostensive signal (Experiment 3). Moreover, whenever infants mapped a novel word onto the object indicated by a communicative action, they tended to map a different novel word onto the distractor object, displaying a mutual exclusivity effect. This reliance on nonverbal action interpretation in the disambiguation of novel words indicates that sociopragmatic inferences about reference likely supplement associative and statistical learning mechanisms from the outset of word learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Pomiechowska
- Cognitive Development Center, Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University
| | - Gergely Csibra
- Cognitive Development Center, Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University
- Birkbeck College, University of London
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Reinelt T, Wermelinger S, Beck S, Brehm J, Helbling N, Manfredi M, Moersdorf L, Wagner L, Daum MM. Infancy researchers need to change the way they develop their measures: A comment on
Byers‐Heinlein
et al. (2021). INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Reinelt
- Clinic for Neonatology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- University Hospital Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA) Frankfurt am Main Germany
| | - Stephanie Wermelinger
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Beck
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Julia Brehm
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Natascha Helbling
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Mirella Manfredi
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Lea Moersdorf
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Lisa Wagner
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Moritz M. Daum
- Department of Psychology University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Jacobs Center of Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Erb CD, Moher J, Marcovitch S. Attentional capture in goal-directed action during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 214:105273. [PMID: 34509699 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Attentional capture occurs when salient but task-irrelevant information disrupts our ability to respond to task-relevant information. Although attentional capture costs have been found to decrease between childhood and adulthood, it is currently unclear the extent to which such age-related changes reflect an improved ability to recover from attentional capture or to avoid attentional capture. In addition, recent research using hand-tracking techniques with adults indicates that attentional capture by a distractor can generate response activations corresponding to the distractor's location, consistent with action-centered models of attention. However, it is unknown whether attentional capture can also result in the capture of action in children and adolescents. Therefore, we presented 5-year-olds, 9-year-olds, 13- and 14-year-olds, and adults (N = 96) with a singleton search task in which participants responded by reaching to touch targets on a digital display. Consistent with action-centered models of attention, distractor effects were evident in each age group's movement trajectories. In contrast to movement trajectories, movement times revealed significant age-related reductions in the costs of attentional capture, suggesting that age-related improvements in attentional control may be driven in part by an enhanced ability to recover from-as opposed to avoid-attentional capture. Children's performance was also significantly affected by response repetition effects, indicating that children may be more susceptible to interference from a wider range of task-irrelevant factors than adults. In addition to presenting novel insights into the development of attention and action, these results highlight the benefits of incorporating hand-tracking techniques into developmental research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Erb
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
| | - Jeff Moher
- Department of Psychology, Connecticut College, New London, CT 06320, USA
| | - Stuart Marcovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Adam M, Gumbsch C, Butz MV, Elsner B. The Impact of Action Effects on Infants' Predictive Gaze Shifts for a Non-Human Grasping Action at 7, 11, and 18 Months. Front Psychol 2021; 12:695550. [PMID: 34447336 PMCID: PMC8382717 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.695550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During the observation of goal-directed actions, infants usually predict the goal at an earlier age when the agent is familiar (e.g., human hand) compared to unfamiliar (e.g., mechanical claw). These findings implicate a crucial role of the developing agentive self for infants’ processing of others’ action goals. Recent theoretical accounts suggest that predictive gaze behavior relies on an interplay between infants’ agentive experience (top-down processes) and perceptual information about the agent and the action-event (bottom-up information; e.g., agency cues). The present study examined 7-, 11-, and 18-month-old infants’ predictive gaze behavior for a grasping action performed by an unfamiliar tool, depending on infants’ age-related action knowledge about tool-use and the display of the agency cue of producing a salient action effect. The results are in line with the notion of a systematic interplay between experience-based top-down processes and cue-based bottom-up information: Regardless of the salient action effect, predictive gaze shifts did not occur in the 7-month-olds (least experienced age group), but did occur in the 18-month-olds (most experienced age group). In the 11-month-olds, however, predictive gaze shifts occurred only when a salient action effect was presented. This sheds new light on how the developing agentive self, in interplay with available agency cues, supports infants’ action-goal prediction also for observed tool-use actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maurits Adam
- Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Christian Gumbsch
- Neuro-Cognitive Modeling, Department of Computer Science and Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Autonomous Learning Group, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Martin V Butz
- Neuro-Cognitive Modeling, Department of Computer Science and Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Birgit Elsner
- Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Jartó M, Liszkowski U. Inferring hidden objects from still and communicative onlookers at 8, 14, and 36 months of age. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 207:105115. [PMID: 33706217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated across five eye-tracking experiments children's developing skill of adopting others' referential perspective (Level 1 perspective taking) and to what extent it involves automatic processes or requires ostensive communicative cues. Three age groups (8-, 14-, and 36-month-olds) were tested on their expectation of an object appearing behind one of two peripheral occluders. A centrally presented person in profile either provided an ostensive communicative pointing cue or sat still, oriented to one of the two occluders. The 14-month-olds anticipated the hidden object when the onlooker had communicatively pointed to the location, as revealed by faster target detection in congruent trials (latency effect) and longer dwell times to the empty side in incongruent trials (violation-of-expectation effect). This was not the case when a still person was only oriented to one side. Adding emotional expressions to the still person (Experiment 2) did not help to produce the effects. However, at 36 months of age (Experiment 3), children showed both effects for the still person. The 8-month-olds did not show the violation-of-expectation effect for communicative pointing (Experiment 4) or for a matched abbreviated reach (Experiment 5b), showing it only for a complete reach behind the occluder (Experiment 5a), although they were faster to detect the congruent object in Experiment 4 and 5a. Findings reveal that automatic perspective taking develops after communicative perspective taking and that communicative perspective taking is a developmental outcome of the first year of life. The developmental pattern suggests a continuous social construction process of perspective-taking skills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Jartó
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Ulf Liszkowski
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
Language is a fundamentally social endeavor. Pragmatics is the study of how speakers and listeners use social reasoning to go beyond the literal meanings of words to interpret language in context. In this article, we take a pragmatic perspective on language development and argue for developmental continuity between early nonverbal communication, language learning, and linguistic pragmatics. We link phenomena from these different literatures by relating them to a computational framework (the rational speech act framework), which conceptualizes communication as fundamentally inferential and grounded in social cognition. The model specifies how different information sources (linguistic utterances, social cues, common ground) are combined when making pragmatic inferences. We present evidence in favor of this inferential view and review how pragmatic reasoning supports children's learning, comprehension, and use of language.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Bohn
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development, Leipzig University, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael C. Frank
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Yamashiro A, Vouloumanos A. How do infants and adults process communicative events in real time? J Exp Child Psychol 2018; 173:268-283. [PMID: 29772454 PMCID: PMC6104386 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Speech allows humans to communicate and to navigate the social world. By 12 months, infants recognize that speech elicits appropriate responses from others. However, it is unclear how infants process dynamic communicative scenes and how their processing abilities compare with those of adults. Do infants, like adults, process communicative events while the event is occurring or only after being presented with the outcome? We examined 12-month-olds' and adults' eye movements as they watched a Communicator grasp one (target) of two objects. During the test event, the Communicator could no longer reach the objects, so she spoke or coughed to a Listener, who selected either object. Infants' and adults' patterns of looking to the actors and objects revealed that both groups immediately evaluated the Communicator's speech, but not her cough, as communicative and recognized that the Listener should select the target object only when the Communicator spoke. Furthermore, infants and adults shifted their attention between the actors and the objects in very similar ways. This suggests that 12-month-olds can quickly process communicative events as they occur with adult-like accuracy. However, differences in looking reveal that 12-month-olds process slower than adults. This early developing processing ability may allow infants to learn language and acquire knowledge from communicative interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Yamashiro
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bache C, Springer A, Noack H, Stadler W, Kopp F, Lindenberger U, Werkle-Bergner M. 10-Month-Old Infants Are Sensitive to the Time Course of Perceived Actions: Eye-Tracking and EEG Evidence. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1170. [PMID: 28769831 PMCID: PMC5509954 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that infants are able to track a moving target efficiently - even if it is transiently occluded from sight. This basic ability allows prediction of when and where events happen in everyday life. Yet, it is unclear whether, and how, infants internally represent the time course of ongoing movements to derive predictions. In this study, 10-month-old crawlers observed the video of a same-aged crawling baby that was transiently occluded and reappeared in either a temporally continuous or non-continuous manner (i.e., delayed by 500 ms vs. forwarded by 500 ms relative to the real-time movement). Eye movement and rhythmic neural brain activity (EEG) were measured simultaneously. Eye movement analyses showed that infants were sensitive to slight temporal shifts in movement continuation after occlusion. Furthermore, brain activity associated with sensorimotor processing differed between observation of continuous and non-continuous movements. Early sensitivity to an action's timing may hence be explained within the internal real-time simulation account of action observation. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that 10-month-old infants are well prepared for internal representation of the time course of observed movements that are within the infants' current motor repertoire.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cathleen Bache
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlin, Germany
| | - Anne Springer
- Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzig, Germany
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, University of BaselBasel, Switzerland
| | - Hannes Noack
- Institute for Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of TübingenTübingen, Germany
| | - Waltraud Stadler
- Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzig, Germany
- Human Movement Science, Technische Universität MünchenMunich, Germany
| | - Franziska Kopp
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlin, Germany
- European University InstituteFiesole, Italy
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
|
14
|
Xie W, Richards JE. The Relation between Infant Covert Orienting, Sustained Attention and Brain Activity. Brain Topogr 2017; 30:198-219. [PMID: 27416932 PMCID: PMC5237418 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-016-0505-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This study used measures of event-related potentials (ERPs) and cortical source analysis to examine the effect of covert orienting and sustained attention on 3- and 4.5-month-old infants' brain activity in a spatial cueing paradigm. Cortical source analysis was conducted with current density reconstruction using realistic head models created from age-appropriate infant MRIs. The validity effect was found in the P1 ERP component that was greater for valid than neutral trials in the electrodes contralateral to the visual targets when the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was short. Cortical source analysis revealed greater current density amplitude around the P1 peak latency in the contralateral inferior occipital and ventral temporal regions for valid than neutral and invalid trials. The processing cost effect was found in the N1 ERP component that was greater for neutral than invalid trials in the short SOA condition. This processing cost effect was also shown in the current density amplitude around the N1 peak latency in the contralateral inferior and middle occipital and middle and superior temporal regions. Infant sustained attention was found to modulate infants' brain responses in covert orienting by enhancing the P1 ERP responses and current density amplitude in their cortical sources during sustained attention. These findings suggest that the neural mechanisms that underpin covert orienting already exist in 3- to 4.5-month-old, and they could be facilitated by infant sustained attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wanze Xie
- Department of Psychology, and Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
| | - John E Richards
- Department of Psychology, and Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Terrizzi BF, Beier JS. Automatic cueing of covert spatial attention by a novel agent in preschoolers and adults. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
16
|
Senna I, Addabbo M, Bolognini N, Longhi E, Macchi Cassia V, Turati C. Infants' Visual Recognition of Pincer Grip Emerges Between 9 and 12 Months of Age. INFANCY 2016; 22:389-402. [PMID: 33158356 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The development of the ability to recognize the whole human body shape has long been investigated in infants, while less is known about their ability to recognize the shape of single body parts, and in particular their biomechanical constraints. This study aimed to explore whether 9- and 12-month-old infants have knowledge of a hand-grasping movement (i.e., pincer grip), being able to recognize violations of the hand's anatomical constraints during the observation of that movement. Using a preferential looking paradigm, we showed that 12-month-olds discriminate between biomechanically possible and impossible pincer grips, preferring the former over the latter (Experiment 1). This capacity begins to emerge by 9 months of age, modulated by infants' own sensorimotor experience with pincer grip (Experiment 2). Our findings indicate that the ability to visually discriminate between pincer grasps differing in their biomechanical properties develops between 9 and 12 months of age, and that experience with self-produced hand movements might help infants in building a representation of the hand that encompasses knowledge of the physical constraints of this body part.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Senna
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department and Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University.,Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca
| | - Margaret Addabbo
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca
| | - Nadia Bolognini
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca.,Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Istituto Auxologico Italiano
| | - Elena Longhi
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca.,Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London
| | - Viola Macchi Cassia
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Natale E, Addabbo M, Marchis IC, Bolognini N, Macchi Cassia V, Turati C. Action priming with biomechanically possible and impossible grasps: ERP evidence from 6-month-old infants. Soc Neurosci 2016; 12:560-569. [PMID: 27266367 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1197853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Coding the direction of others' gestures is a fundamental human ability, since it allows the observer to attend and react to sources of potential interest in the environment. Shifts of attention triggered by action observation have been reported to occur early in infancy. Yet, the neurophysiological underpinnings of such action priming and the properties of gestures that might be crucial for it remain unknown. Here, we addressed these issues by recording electroencephalographic activity (EEG) from 6-month-old infants cued with spatially non-predictive hand grasping toward or away from the position of a target object, i.e., valid and invalid trials, respectively. Half of the infants were cued with a gesture executable by a human hand (possible gesture) and the other half with a gesture impossible to be executed by a human hand. Results show that the amplitude enhancement of the posterior N290 component in response to targets in valid trials, as compared to invalid trials, was present only for infants seeing possible gestures, while it was absent for infants seeing impossible gestures. These findings suggest that infants detect the biomechanical properties of human movements when processing hand gestures, relying on this information to orient their visual attention toward the target object.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Natale
- a Department of Psychology and NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
| | - M Addabbo
- a Department of Psychology and NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
| | - I C Marchis
- a Department of Psychology and NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
| | - N Bolognini
- a Department of Psychology and NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy.,b Laboratory of Neuropsychology , IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan , Italy
| | - V Macchi Cassia
- a Department of Psychology and NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
| | - C Turati
- a Department of Psychology and NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience , University of Milano-Bicocca , Milan , Italy
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Aldaqre I, Schuwerk T, Daum MM, Sodian B, Paulus M. Sensitivity to communicative and non-communicative gestures in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder: saccadic and pupillary responses. Exp Brain Res 2016; 234:2515-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4656-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
19
|
Daum MM, Wronski C, Harms A, Gredebäck G. Action perception in infancy: the plasticity of 7-month-olds' attention to grasping actions. Exp Brain Res 2016; 234:2465-78. [PMID: 27093869 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4651-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigates the plasticity of 7-month-old infants' orienting of attention during their perception of grasping actions. Previous research has shown that when infants observe a grasping hand, they shift their attention in line with the grasping direction, which is indicated by a reliable priming effect in this direction. The mechanisms behind this priming effect are largely unknown, and it is unclear how malleable this priming effect is with respect to a brief exposure to novel action-target contingencies. In a spatial-cueing paradigm, we presented a series of training trials prior to a series of test trials. These training sequences significantly modulated infants' attention. This suggests that action perception, when assessed through shifts of attention, is not solely based on the infants' grasping experience but quickly adapts to context-specific observed regularities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moritz M Daum
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmuehlestrasse 14, Box 21, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Caroline Wronski
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmuehlestrasse 14, Box 21, 8050, Zurich, Switzerland.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,University of Applied Sciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Annekatrin Harms
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Bakker M, Sommerville JA, Gredebäck G. Enhanced Neural Processing of Goal-directed Actions After Active Training in 4-Month-Old Infants. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:472-82. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The current study explores the neural correlates of action perception and its relation to infants' active experience performing goal-directed actions. Study 1 provided active training with sticky mittens that enables grasping and object manipulation in prereaching 4-month-olds. After training, EEG was recorded while infants observed images of hands grasping toward (congruent) or away from (incongruent) objects. We demonstrate that brief active training facilitates social perception as indexed by larger amplitude of the P400 ERP component to congruent compared with incongruent trials. Study 2 presented 4-month-old infants with passive training in which they observed an experimenter perform goal-directed reaching actions, followed by an identical ERP session to that used in Study 1. The second study did not demonstrate any differentiation between congruent and incongruent trials. These results suggest that (1) active experience alters the brains' response to goal-directed actions performed by others and (2) visual exposure alone is not sufficient in developing the neural networks subserving goal processing during action observation in infancy.
Collapse
|
21
|
Filippi CA, Woodward AL. Action Experience Changes Attention to Kinematic Cues. Front Psychol 2016; 7:19. [PMID: 26913012 PMCID: PMC4753290 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current study used remote corneal reflection eye-tracking to examine the relationship between motor experience and action anticipation in 13-months-old infants. To measure online anticipation of actions infants watched videos where the actor’s hand provided kinematic information (in its orientation) about the type of object that the actor was going to reach for. The actor’s hand orientation either matched the orientation of a rod (congruent cue) or did not match the orientation of the rod (incongruent cue). To examine relations between motor experience and action anticipation, we used a 2 (reach first vs. observe first) × 2 (congruent kinematic cue vs. incongruent kinematic cue) between-subjects design. We show that 13-months-old infants in the observe first condition spontaneously generate rapid online visual predictions to congruent hand orientation cues and do not visually anticipate when presented incongruent cues. We further demonstrate that the speed that these infants generate predictions to congruent motor cues is correlated with their own ability to pre-shape their hands. Finally, we demonstrate that following reaching experience, infants generate rapid predictions to both congruent and incongruent hand shape cues—suggesting that short-term experience changes attention to kinematics.
Collapse
|
22
|
Quadrelli E, Turati C. Origins and development of mirroring mechanisms: A neuroconstructivist framework. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2015; 34:6-23. [DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Revised: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ermanno Quadrelli
- Department of Psychology; University of Milano-Bicocca; Italy
- NeuroMI; Milan Center for Neuroscience; Italy
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology; University of Milano-Bicocca; Italy
- NeuroMI; Milan Center for Neuroscience; Italy
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bardi L, Di Giorgio E, Lunghi M, Troje NF, Simion F. Walking direction triggers visuo-spatial orienting in 6-month-old infants and adults: An eye tracking study. Cognition 2015; 141:112-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Revised: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
24
|
Gredebäck G, Daum MM. The Microstructure of Action Perception in Infancy: Decomposing the Temporal Structure of Social Information Processing. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2015; 9:79-83. [PMID: 27642367 PMCID: PMC5006841 DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we review recent evidence of infants' early competence in perceiving and interpreting the actions of others. We present a theoretical model that decomposes the timeline of action perception into a series of distinct processes that occur in a particular order. Once an agent is detected, covert attention can be allocated to the future state of the agent (priming), which may lead to overt gaze shifts that predict goals (prediction). Once these goals are achieved, the consequence of the agents' actions and the manner in which the actions were performed can be evaluated (evaluation). We propose that all of these processes have unique requirements, both in terms of timing and cognitive resources. To understand more fully the rich social world of infants, we need to pay more attention to the temporal structure of social perception and ask what information is available to infants and how this changes over time.
Collapse
|
25
|
Geangu E, Senna I, Croci E, Turati C. The effect of biomechanical properties of motion on infants’ perception of goal-directed grasping actions. J Exp Child Psychol 2015; 129:55-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2014] [Revised: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
26
|
Elsner C, Bakker M, Rohlfing K, Gredebäck G. Infants' online perception of give-and-take interactions. J Exp Child Psychol 2014; 126:280-94. [PMID: 24973626 PMCID: PMC4119258 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2013] [Revised: 05/22/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This research investigated infants' online perception of give-me gestures during observation of a social interaction. In the first experiment, goal-directed eye movements of 12-month-olds were recorded as they observed a give-and-take interaction in which an object is passed from one individual to another. Infants' gaze shifts from the passing hand to the receiving hand were significantly faster when the receiving hand formed a give-me gesture relative to when it was presented as an inverted hand shape. Experiment 2 revealed that infants' goal-directed gaze shifts were not based on different affordances of the two receiving hands. Two additional control experiments further demonstrated that differences in infants' online gaze behavior were not mediated by an attentional preference for the give-me gesture. Together, our findings provide evidence that properties of social action goals influence infants' online gaze during action observation. The current studies demonstrate that infants have expectations about well-formed object transfer actions between social agents. We suggest that 12-month-olds are sensitive to social goals within the context of give-and-take interactions while observing from a third-party perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Elsner
- Uppsala Child and Baby Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Marta Bakker
- Uppsala Child and Baby Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Katharina Rohlfing
- Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Gustaf Gredebäck
- Uppsala Child and Baby Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Bakker M, Daum MM, Handl A, Gredebäck G. Neural correlates of action perception at the onset of functional grasping. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 10:769-76. [PMID: 25193947 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Event-related potentials were recorded while infants observe congruent or incongruent grasping actions at the age when organized grasping first emerges (4-6 months of age). We demonstrate that the event-related potential component P400 encodes the congruency of power grasps at the age of 6 months (Experiment 1) and in 5-month-old infants that have developed the ability to use power grasps (Experiment 2). This effect does not extend to precision grasps, which infants cannot perform (Experiment 3). Our findings suggest that infants' encoding of the relationship between an object and a grasping hand (the action-perception link) is highly specialized to actions and manual configurations of actions that infants are able to perform.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Bakker
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, van Kraemers alle 1, SE- 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden, Research Group "Infant Cognition and Action", Max Planck Institute or Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 21, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Moritz M Daum
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, van Kraemers alle 1, SE- 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden, Research Group "Infant Cognition and Action", Max Planck Institute or Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 21, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, van Kraemers alle 1, SE- 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden, Research Group "Infant Cognition and Action", Max Planck Institute or Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 21, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Handl
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, van Kraemers alle 1, SE- 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden, Research Group "Infant Cognition and Action", Max Planck Institute or Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 21, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gustaf Gredebäck
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, van Kraemers alle 1, SE- 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden, Research Group "Infant Cognition and Action", Max Planck Institute or Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany, and Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Binzmühlestrasse 14, Box 21, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Ambrosini E, Reddy V, de Looper A, Costantini M, Lopez B, Sinigaglia C. Looking ahead: anticipatory gaze and motor ability in infancy. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67916. [PMID: 23861832 PMCID: PMC3701628 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study asks when infants are able to selectively anticipate the goals of observed actions, and how this ability relates to infants' own abilities to produce those specific actions. Using eye-tracking technology to measure on-line anticipation, 6-, 8- and 10-month-old infants and a control group of adults were tested while observing an adult reach with a whole hand grasp, a precision grasp or a closed fist towards one of two different sized objects. The same infants were also given a comparable action production task. All infants showed proactive gaze to the whole hand grasps, with increased degrees of proactivity in the older groups. Gaze proactivity to the precision grasps, however, was present from 8 months of age. Moreover, the infants' ability in performing precision grasping strongly predicted their ability in using the actor's hand shape cues to differentially anticipate the goal of the observed action, even when age was partialled out. The results are discussed in terms of the specificity of action anticipation, and the fine-grained relationship between action production and action perception.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ettore Ambrosini
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Turati C, Natale E, Bolognini N, Senna I, Picozzi M, Longhi E, Cassia VM. The early development of human mirror mechanisms: evidence from electromyographic recordings at 3 and 6 months. Dev Sci 2013; 16:793-800. [PMID: 24118707 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 02/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In primates and adult humans direct understanding of others' action is provided by mirror mechanisms matching action observation and action execution (e.g. Casile, Caggiano & Ferrari, 2011). Despite the growing body of evidence detailing the existence of these mechanisms in the adult human brain, their origins and early development are largely unknown. In this study, for the first time, electromyographic (EMG) measures were used to shed light on the emergence of mirror motor mechanisms in infancy. EMG activity was recorded while 6- and 3-month-old infants watched two videos displaying an agent reaching for, grasping and bringing an object either to the mouth or to the head. Results indicate that the motor system of 6-month-olds, but not 3-month-olds, was recruited and selectively modulated during observation of the goal-directed actions, favoring the idea that mirror mechanisms driving action understanding gradually emerge during early development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Okumura Y, Kanakogi Y, Kanda T, Ishiguro H, Itakura S. Infants understand the referential nature of human gaze but not robot gaze. J Exp Child Psychol 2013; 116:86-95. [PMID: 23660178 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2013.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2012] [Revised: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Infants can acquire much information by following the gaze direction of others. This type of social learning is underpinned by the ability to understand the relationship between gaze direction and a referent object (i.e., the referential nature of gaze). However, it is unknown whether human gaze is a privileged cue for information that infants use. Comparing human gaze with nonhuman (robot) gaze, we investigated whether infants' understanding of the referential nature of looking is restricted to human gaze. In the current study, we developed a novel task that measured by eye-tracking infants' anticipation of an object from observing an agent's gaze shift. Results revealed that although 10- and 12-month-olds followed the gaze direction of both a human and a robot, only 12-month-olds predicted the appearance of objects from referential gaze information when the agent was the human. Such a prediction for objects reflects an understanding of referential gaze. Our study demonstrates that by 12 months of age, infants hold referential expectations specifically from the gaze shift of humans. These specific expectations from human gaze may enable infants to acquire various information that others convey in social learning and social interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Okumura
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Wahl S, Michel C, Pauen S, Hoehl S. Head and eye movements affect object processing in 4-month-old infants more than an artificial orientation cue. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2012; 31:212-30. [DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2011] [Accepted: 09/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Wahl
- Department of Psychology; University of Heidelberg; Germany
| | | | - Sabina Pauen
- Department of Psychology; University of Heidelberg; Germany
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Psychology; University of Heidelberg; Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Melzer A, Prinz W, Daum MM. Production and perception of contralateral reaching: A close link by 12 months of age. Infant Behav Dev 2012; 35:570-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Revised: 03/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
33
|
Abstract
Predicting the actions of others is critical to smooth social interactions. Prior work suggests that both understanding and anticipation of goal-directed actions appears early in development. In this study, on-line goal prediction was tested explicitly using an adaptation of Woodward's (1998) paradigm for an eye-tracking task. Twenty 11-month-olds were familiarized to movie clips of a hand reaching to grasp one of two objects. Then object locations were swapped, and the hand made an incomplete reach between the objects. Here, infants reliably made their first look from the hand to the familiarized goal object, now in a new location. A separate control condition of 20 infants familiarized to the same movements of an unfamiliar claw revealed the opposite pattern: reliable prediction to the familiarized location, rather than the familiarized object. This study suggests that by 11 months infants actively use goal analysis to generate on-line predictions of an agent's next action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin N Cannon
- Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Gredebäck G, Melinder A. Teleological reasoning in 4-month-old infants: pupil dilations and contextual constraints. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26487. [PMID: 22039499 PMCID: PMC3198477 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Four-month-old infants were presented with feeding actions performed in a rational or irrational manner. Infants reacted to the irrational feeding actions by dilating their pupils, but only in the presence of rich contextual constraints. The study demonstrates that teleological processes are online at 4 months of age and illustrates the usefulness of pupil dilations as a measure of social cognitive processes early in infancy.
Collapse
|
35
|
Boyer TW, Samantha Pan J, Bertenthal BI. Infants’ understanding of actions performed by mechanical devices. Cognition 2011; 121:1-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2010] [Revised: 05/27/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|