The Development of Infants' Reaches for Stationary and Moving Targets

Abstract

The organization of infants' reaching skill for stationary and moving targets was examined. While 58 term, healthy infants at 5.5, 8.5, and 11.5 months of age reached for and grasped a cloth-covered dowel, their reaches were videotaped for later slow-motion analysis. Analyses addressed infants' anticipatory adjustment of hand alignment, use of information from spinning and oscillating targets to update ongoing reaches, and ability to capture targets moving in depth. Infants at all ages made anticipatory adjustments of hand alignment, although the effectiveness of these adjustments improved with age. Regardless of age, infants also used dynamic information from spinning and oscillating targets to update ongoing reaches, but the way infants used this information was related to age. Developmental constancy characterized infants' reaches for approaching targets. By observing infants' reaches for stationary, spinning, and approaching targets, the study expands the range of conditions under which adaptive reaching skill has been examined and provides insight into the roles of anticipation and updating in the development of early manual skill.