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Lonardo L, Völter CJ, Hepach R, Lamm C, Huber L. Do dogs preferentially encode the identity of the target object or the location of others' actions? Anim Cogn 2024; 27:28. [PMID: 38553650 PMCID: PMC10980658 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01870-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The ability to make sense of and predict others' actions is foundational for many socio-cognitive abilities. Dogs (Canis familiaris) constitute interesting comparative models for the study of action perception due to their marked sensitivity to human actions. We tested companion dogs (N = 21) in two screen-based eye-tracking experiments, adopting a task previously used with human infants and apes, to assess which aspects of an agent's action dogs consider relevant to the agent's underlying intentions. An agent was shown repeatedly acting upon the same one of two objects, positioned in the same location. We then presented the objects in swapped locations and the agent approached the objects centrally (Experiment 1) or the old object in the new location or the new object in the old location (Experiment 2). Dogs' anticipatory fixations and looking times did not reflect an expectation that agents should have continued approaching the same object nor the same location as witnessed during the brief familiarization phase; this contrasts with some findings with infants and apes, but aligns with findings in younger infants before they have sufficient motor experience with the observed action. However, dogs' pupil dilation and latency to make an anticipatory fixation suggested that, if anything, dogs expected the agents to keep approaching the same location rather than the same object, and their looking times showed sensitivity to the animacy of the agents. We conclude that dogs, lacking motor experience with the observed actions of grasping or kicking performed by a human or inanimate agent, might interpret such actions as directed toward a specific location rather than a specific object. Future research will need to further probe the suitability of anticipatory looking as measure of dogs' socio-cognitive abilities given differences between the visual systems of dogs and primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucrezia Lonardo
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna, 1210, Austria.
| | - Christoph J Völter
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna, 1210, Austria
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Robert Hepach
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1010, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna, 1210, Austria
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2
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Lonardo L, Völter CJ, Lamm C, Huber L. Dogs Rely On Visual Cues Rather Than On Effector-Specific Movement Representations to Predict Human Action Targets. Open Mind (Camb) 2023; 7:588-607. [PMID: 37840756 PMCID: PMC10575556 DOI: 10.1162/opmi_a_00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to predict others' actions is one of the main pillars of social cognition. We investigated the processes underlying this ability by pitting motor representations of the observed movements against visual familiarity. In two pre-registered eye-tracking experiments, we measured the gaze arrival times of 16 dogs (Canis familiaris) who observed videos of a human or a conspecific executing the same goal-directed actions. On the first trial, when the human agent performed human-typical movements outside dogs' specific motor repertoire, dogs' gaze arrived at the target object anticipatorily (i.e., before the human touched the target object). When the agent was a conspecific, dogs' gaze arrived to the target object reactively (i.e., upon or after touch). When the human agent performed unusual movements more closely related to the dogs' motor possibilities (e.g., crawling instead of walking), dogs' gaze arrival times were intermediate between the other two conditions. In a replication experiment, with slightly different stimuli, dogs' looks to the target object were neither significantly predictive nor reactive, irrespective of the agent. However, when including looks at the target object that were not preceded by looks to the agents, on average dogs looked anticipatorily and sooner at the human agent's action target than at the conspecific's. Looking times and pupil size analyses suggest that the dogs' attention was captured more by the dog agent. These results suggest that visual familiarity with the observed action and saliency of the agent had a stronger influence on the dogs' looking behaviour than effector-specific movement representations in anticipating action targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucrezia Lonardo
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph J. Völter
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Chung H, Meyer M, Debnath R, Fox NA, Woodward A. Neural correlates of familiar and unfamiliar action in infancy. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 220:105415. [PMID: 35339810 PMCID: PMC9086142 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral evidence shows that experience with an action shapes action perception. Neural mirroring has been suggested as a mechanism underlying this behavioral phenomenon. Suppression of electroencephalogram (EEG) power in the mu frequency band, an index of motor activation, typically reflects neural mirroring. However, contradictory findings exist regarding the association between mu suppression and motor familiarity in infant EEG studies. In this study, we investigated the neural underpinnings reflecting the role of familiarity in action perception. We measured neural processing of familiar (grasp) and novel (tool-use) actions in 9- and 12-month-old infants. Specifically, we measured infants' distinct motor/visual activity and explored functional connectivity associated with these processes. Mu suppression was stronger for grasping than for tool use, whereas significant mu and occipital alpha (indexing visual activity) suppression were evident for both actions. Interestingly, selective motor-visual functional connectivity was found during observation of familiar action, a pattern not observed for novel action. Thus, the neural correlates of perception of familiar actions may be best understood in terms of a functional neural network rather than isolated regional activity. Our findings provide novel insights on analytic approaches for identifying motor-specific neural activity while also considering neural networks involved in observing motorically familiar versus unfamiliar actions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marlene Meyer
- University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Donders Institute, Radboud University, 6525 GD Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ranjan Debnath
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nathan A Fox
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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4
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Ossmy O, Han D, Kaplan BE, Xu M, Bianco C, Mukamel R, Adolph KE. Children do not distinguish efficient from inefficient actions during observation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18106. [PMID: 34518566 PMCID: PMC8438080 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97354-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Observation is a powerful way to learn efficient actions from others. However, the role of observers' motor skill in assessing efficiency of others is unknown. Preschoolers are notoriously poor at performing multi-step actions like grasping the handle of a tool. Preschoolers (N = 22) and adults (N = 22) watched video-recorded actors perform efficient and inefficient tool use. Eye tracking showed that preschoolers and adults looked equally long at the videos, but adults looked longer than children at how actors grasped the tool. Deep learning analyses of participants' eye gaze distinguished efficient from inefficient grasps for adults, but not for children. Moreover, only adults showed differential action-related pupil dilation and neural activity (suppressed oscillation power in the mu frequency) while observing efficient vs. inefficient grasps. Thus, children observe multi-step actions without "seeing" whether the initial step is efficient. Findings suggest that observer's own motor efficiency determines whether they can perceive action efficiency in others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ori Ossmy
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, 6 Washington Place, Room 403, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Danyang Han
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, 6 Washington Place, Room 403, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Brianna E Kaplan
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, 6 Washington Place, Room 403, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Melody Xu
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, 6 Washington Place, Room 403, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Catherine Bianco
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, 6 Washington Place, Room 403, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Roy Mukamel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Karen E Adolph
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, 6 Washington Place, Room 403, New York, NY, 10003, USA
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5
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Peyton C, Sukal Moulton T, Carroll AJ, Anderson E, Brozek A, Davis MM, Horowitz J, Jayaraman A, O'Brien M, Patrick C, Pouppirt N, Villamar J, Xu S, Lieber RL, Wakschlag LS, Krogh-Jespersen S. Starting at Birth: An Integrative, State-of-the-Science Framework for Optimizing Infant Neuromotor Health. Front Pediatr 2021; 9:787196. [PMID: 35141178 PMCID: PMC8820372 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.787196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous conditions and circumstances place infants at risk for poor neuromotor health, yet many are unable to receive treatment until a definitive diagnosis is made, sometimes several years later. In this integrative perspective, we describe an extensive team science effort to develop a transdiagnostic approach to neuromotor health interventions designed to leverage the heightened neuroplasticity of the first year of life. We undertook the following processes: (1) conducted a review of the literature to extract common principles and strategies underlying effective neuromotor health interventions; (2) hosted a series of expert scientific exchange panels to discuss common principles, as well as practical considerations and/or lessons learned from application in the field; and (3) gathered feedback and input from diverse stakeholders including infant caregivers and healthcare providers. The resultant framework was a pragmatic, evidence-based, transdiagnostic approach to optimize neuromotor health for high-risk infants based on four principles: (a) active learning, (b) environmental enrichment, (c) caregiver engagement, and (d) strength-based approaches. In this perspective paper, we delineate these principles and their potential applications. Innovations include: engagement of multiple caregivers as critical drivers of the intervention; promoting neuromotor health in the vulnerability phase, rather than waiting to treat neuromotor disease; integrating best practices from adjacent fields; and employing a strengths-based approach. This framework holds promise for implementation as it is scalable, pragmatic, and holistically addresses both the needs of the infant and their family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen Peyton
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Theresa Sukal Moulton
- Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Allison J Carroll
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Erica Anderson
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alexandra Brozek
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Matthew M Davis
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.,Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Jessica Horowitz
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | | | - Cheryl Patrick
- Division of Rehabilitative Services, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Nicole Pouppirt
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Juan Villamar
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Shuai Xu
- Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Richard L Lieber
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Lauren S Wakschlag
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Sheila Krogh-Jespersen
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.,Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
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6
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Donnier S, Kovács G, Oña LS, Bräuer J, Amici F. Experience has a limited effect on humans' ability to predict the outcome of social interactions in children, dogs and macaques. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21240. [PMID: 33277580 PMCID: PMC7718882 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78275-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to predict others' behaviour represents a crucial mechanism which allows individuals to react faster and more appropriately. To date, several studies have investigated humans' ability to predict conspecifics' behaviour, but little is known on our ability to predict behaviour in other species. Here, we aimed to test humans' ability to predict social behaviour in dogs, macaques and humans, and assess the role played by experience and evolution on the emergence of this ability. For this purpose, we presented participants with short videoclips of real-life social interactions in dog, child and macaque dyads, and then asked them to predict the outcome of the observed interactions (i.e. aggressive, neutral or playful). Participants were selected according to their previous species-specific experience with dogs, children and non-human primates. Our results showed a limited effect of experience on the ability to predict the outcome of social interactions, which was mainly restricted to macaques. Moreover, we found no support to the co-domestication hypothesis, in that participants were not especially skilled at predicting dog behaviour. Finally, aggressive outcomes in dogs were predicted significantly worse than playful or neutral ones. Based on our findings, we suggest possible lines for future research, like the inclusion of other primate species and the assessment of cultural factors on the ability to predict behaviour across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasha Donnier
- Fundació UdG: Innovació I Formació, Universitat de Girona, Carrer Pic de Peguera 11, 17003, Girona, Spain
| | - Gyula Kovács
- Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Linda S Oña
- Max Planck Research Group 'Naturalistic Social Cognition', Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juliane Bräuer
- Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Leutragraben 1, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Federica Amici
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology", Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Biology, Behavioral Ecology Research Group, University of Leipzig Faculty of Life Science, Leipzig, Germany.
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7
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Wakschlag LS, Tandon D, Krogh-Jespersen S, Petitclerc A, Nielsen A, Ghaffari R, Mithal L, Bass M, Ward E, Berken J, Fareedi E, Cummings P, Mestan K, Norton ES, Grobman W, Rogers J, Moskowitz J, Alshurafa N. Moving the dial on prenatal stress mechanisms of neurodevelopmental vulnerability to mental health problems: A personalized prevention proof of concept. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:622-640. [PMID: 33225463 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress exposure increases vulnerability to virtually all forms of psychopathology. Based on this robust evidence base, we propose a "Mental Health, Earlier" paradigm shift for prenatal stress research, which moves from the documentation of stress-related outcomes to their prevention, with a focus on infant neurodevelopmental indicators of vulnerability to subsequent mental health problems. Achieving this requires an expansive team science approach. As an exemplar, we introduce the Promoting Healthy Brain Project (PHBP), a randomized trial testing the impact of the Wellness-4-2 personalized prenatal stress-reduction intervention on stress-related alterations in infant neurodevelopmental trajectories in the first year of life. Wellness-4-2 utilizes bio-integrated stress monitoring for just-in-time adaptive intervention. We highlight unique challenges and opportunities this novel team science approach presents in synergizing expertise across predictive analytics, bioengineering, health information technology, prevention science, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, pediatrics, and neurodevelopmental science. We discuss how innovations across many areas of study facilitate this personalized preventive approach, using developmentally sensitive brain and behavioral methods to investigate whether altering children's adverse gestational exposures, i.e., maternal stress in the womb, can improve their mental health outlooks. In so doing, we seek to propel developmental SEED research towards preventive applications with the potential to reduce the pernicious effect of prenatal stress on neurodevelopment, mental health, and wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren S Wakschlag
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Darius Tandon
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Public Health & Medicine Center for Community Health, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sheila Krogh-Jespersen
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Amelie Petitclerc
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ashley Nielsen
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rhoozbeh Ghaffari
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Materials Science & Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Leena Mithal
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael Bass
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Erin Ward
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Public Health & Medicine Center for Community Health, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jonathan Berken
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elveena Fareedi
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Peter Cummings
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Karen Mestan
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Pediatrics (Neonatology), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Norton
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, School of Communication, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - William Grobman
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology (Maternal-Fetal Medicine), Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John Rogers
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Materials Science & Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Judith Moskowitz
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nabil Alshurafa
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Computer Science, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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8
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Getting a grip on early intention understanding: The role of motor, cognitive, and social factors. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2020. [PMID: 32859284 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
This chapter considers various factors that facilitate infants' understanding of other people's intentions. As adults, we view the actions people perform around us as intentional, to achieve a goal, rather than idle movements. For example, when observing another person perform a simple grasping action, such as picking up a slice of pizza, we perceive this action as goal-directed. Due to our understanding of the person's intention, we focus more so on the relation between the person and their goal, rather than the motion involved in the action. Infants develop an understanding of intentional agents and their goals within the first year of life. This chapter reviews multiple factors that are at play in facilitating infants' learning about the intentions of others' actions. We consider this from various perspectives, including the role of active experience, sensitivity to behavioral cues, cognitive factors, and social factors. We first review evidence concerning infants' learning of intentional actions from active experience. We then go on to evaluate how this learning could also come about via comparison processes, statistical learning, and use of behavioral cues such as object labeling and action effects. We also review social factors such as infant-directed actions and triadic engagement within social interactions that emerging evidence suggests are helpful in facilitating infants' understanding of other people's actions. Finally, we consider the extent to which these factors interact with one another in different contexts, as well as implications and future directions.
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9
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Ganglmayer K, Attig M, Daum MM, Paulus M. Infants’ perception of goal-directed actions: A multi-lab replication reveals that infants anticipate paths and not goals. Infant Behav Dev 2019; 57:101340. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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10
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Applin JB, Kibbe MM. Six-Month-Old Infants Predict Agents' Goal-Directed Actions on Occluded Objects. INFANCY 2019; 24:392-410. [PMID: 32677190 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Infants can infer agents' goals after observing agents' goal-directed actions on objects and can subsequently make predictions about how agents will act on objects in the future. We investigated the representations supporting these predictions. We familiarized 6-month-old infants to an agent who preferentially reached for one of two featurally distinct objects following a cue. At test, the objects were sequentially occluded from the infant in the agent's presence. We asked whether infants could generate action predictions without visual access to the relevant objects by measuring whether infants shifted their gaze to the location of the agent's hidden goal object following the cue. We also examined what infants represented about the hidden objects by removing one of the occluders to reveal either the original hidden object or the unexpected other object and measuring infants' looking time. We found that, even without visual access to the objects, infants made predictive gazes to the location of the agent's occluded goal object, but failed to represent the features of either hidden object. These results suggest that infants make goal-based action predictions when the relevant objects in the scene are occluded, but doing so may come at the expense of maintaining representations of the objects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melissa M Kibbe
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University
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11
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Krogh-Jespersen S, Kaldy Z, Valadez AG, Carter AS, Woodward AL. Goal prediction in 2-year-old children with and without autism spectrum disorder: An eye-tracking study. Autism Res 2018; 11:870-882. [PMID: 29405645 PMCID: PMC6026049 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the predictive reasoning abilities of typically developing (TD) infants and 2-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in an eye-tracking paradigm. Participants watched a video of a goal-directed action in which a human actor reached for and grasped one of two objects. At test, the objects switched locations. Across these events, we measured: visual anticipation of the action outcome with kinematic cues (i.e., a completed reaching behavior); goal prediction of the action outcome without kinematic cues (i.e., an incomplete reach); and latencies to generate predictions across these two tasks. Results revealed similarities in action anticipation across groups when trajectory information regarding the intended goal was present; however, when predicting the goal without kinematic cues, developmental and diagnostic differences became evident. Younger TD children generated goal-based visual predictions, whereas older TD children were not systematic in their visual predictions. In contrast to both TD groups, children with ASD generated location-based predictions, suggesting that their visual predictions may reflect visuomotor perseveration. Together, these results suggest differences in early predictive reasoning abilities. Autism Res 2018, 11: 870-882. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY The current study examines the ability to generate visual predictions regarding other people's goal-directed actions, specifically reaching and grasping an object, in infants and children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Results showed no differences in abilities when movement information about a person's goal was evident; however, differences were evident across age and clinical diagnoses when relying on previous knowledge to generate a visual prediction.
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