Abstract
Anticipation of the actions of others is often used as a measure of action understanding in infancy. In contrast to studies of action understanding which set infants up as observers of actions directed elsewhere, in the present study we explored anticipatory postural adjustments made by infants to one of the most common adult actions directed to them – picking them up. We observed infant behavioural changes and recorded their postural shifts on a pressure mat in three phases: (i) a prior Chat phase, (ii) from the onset of Approach of the mother’s arms, and (iii) from the onset of Contact. In Study 1, eighteen 3-month-old infants showed systematic global postural changes during Approach and Contact, but not during Chat. There was an increase in specific adjustments of the arms (widening or raising) and legs (stiffening and extending or tucking up) during Approach and a decrease in thrashing/general movements during Contact. Shifts in postural stability were evident immediately after onset of Approach and more slowly after Contact, with no regular shifts during Chat. In Study 2 we followed ten infants at 2, 3 and 4 months of age. Anticipatory behavioural adjustments during Approach were present at all ages, but with greater differentiation from a prior Chat phase only at 3 and 4 months. Global postural shifts were also more phase differentiated in older infants. Moreover, there was significantly greater gaze to the mother’s hands during Approach at 4 months. Early anticipatory adjustments to being picked up suggest that infants’ awareness of actions directed to the self may occur earlier than of those directed elsewhere, and thus enable infants’ active participation in joint actions from early in life.
Highlights
The present study explores infants’ anticipation of one of the most common experiences of actions which adults direct towards them – picking them up
As indicators of preparation for being picked up, we looked for changes in thrashing or general rhythmic movements and in specific behavioural adjustments such as stiffening of the legs and arms through extension or flexion prior to being lifted up
In the Chat phase we investigated changes in infants’ postural activity in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seconds of Chat
Summary
The present study explores infants’ anticipation of one of the most common experiences of actions which adults direct towards them – picking them up. While habituation/looking time methods have revealed infant discrimination of the goal-directedness of the actions of human agents at 5 months [3,4] and even at 3 months [5], studies using anticipatory gaze have shown action prediction and anticipation of others’ intentional actions only later at 6, 10 and 12 months [6,7,8] In all of these studies infants are asked to observe simple human actions directed to target objects. Research shows several developmental achievements in motor and attentional competence in the third month of life [30,31], such as the onset of voluntary movements (including anti-gravity movements), the control of visual attention and binocular vision [32,33] and a shift in infant postural control from body-oriented to space-oriented control [34,35] These findings suggest that a closer look at 2-, 3- and 4-month-old infants is crucial in terms of understanding anticipatory motor adjustments. Study 1 was an indepth exploration of the anticipatory responses of eighteen 3month-old infants, while Study 2 was a longitudinal exploration of developmental changes in these responses in ten infants at 2, 3 and 4 months of age
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
