Can infants attribute to an agent a disposition to perform a particular action?

Abstract

The present research investigated whether 13.5-month-old infants would attribute to an actor a disposition to perform a recurring action, and would then use this information to predict which of two new objects-one that could be used to perform the action and one that could not-the actor would grasp next. During familiarization, the infants watched an actor slide various objects forward and backward on an apparatus floor. During test, the infants saw two new identical objects placed side by side: one stood inside a short frame that left little room for sliding; the other stood inside a longer frame that left ample room for sliding. The infants who saw the actor grasp the object inside the short frame looked reliably longer than those who saw the actor grasp the object inside the long frame. This and control results from a lifting condition provide evidence that by 13.5 months, infants can attribute to an actor a disposition to perform a particular action.Adults are often able, in simple situations at least, to predict others' actions. Some of our predictions are based on goal information. If we know, or can infer, that a friend has a particular goal in mind, then we can use this information to predict the kinds of actions she is likely to perform next. For example, if our friend says "Let me get you a glass of water", we might expect her to get a glass and fill it with water: these actions are precisely those needed to achieve her goal. Other predictions are based on disposition information. If we know, or can infer, that a friend has a particular disposition-such as a predilection for certain objects, activities, or events-then once again we can use this information to predict her actions. For example, if we know that our friend loves pecan pie, then we might predict which dessert she will select at the buffet table. Although at an abstract level goals and dispositions are conceptually distinct-for example, we would not want to say that a fondness for pecan pie is equivalent to a goal of eating pecan pie-at a more concrete level goals and dispositions are clearly intertwined: her fondness for pecan pie should lead our friend, once she reaches the buffet table and notices the pecan pie, to form a goal of obtaining a piece of the pie and to act in a manner consistent with this goal. In this sense, recognizing others' dispositions can thus help us make sense of their goal-directed actions.Recent research suggests that infants attribute not only goals (e.g., Csibra, Bíró, Koós, & Gergely, 2003;Csibra, Gergely, Bíró, Koós, & Brockbank, 1999;Gergely, Bekkering, & Kiraly, 2002;Gergely, Nadasdy, Csibra, & Biro, 1995;Meltzoff, 1995Meltzoff, , 1996Onishi, Baillargeon, & Woodward, 2005;Shimizu & Johnson, 2004;Song, Baillargeon, & Fisher, 2005;Thoermer & Sodian, 2001;Woodward, 1998Woodward, , 1999 but also dispositions (e.g., Kuhlmeier, Wynn, & Bloom, 2003; Luo & Baillargeon, 2005, in press;Onishi & Baillargeon, 2002;Premack & Premack, 1997;Song, et al., 2005) NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA...

Can 9.5-month-old infants attribute to an agent a disposition to perform a particular action on objects?

“…In contrast to the 13.5-month-old infants in Song et al (2005), the 9.5-month-old infants in Experiment 1 who saw the short-and long-frame events tended to look equally. As we alluded to earlier, there were several possible interpretations for this negative result.…”

“…The research summarized in the previous sections suggests that infants aged 5 months and older can attribute to an agent a predilection for a particular object (e.g., Luo & Baillargeon, 2005a, in review;Luo & Johnson, 2006;Repacholi & Gopnik, 1997;Song et al, in review); that infants aged 9 months and older can attribute to an agent a predilection for a particular agent (Kuhlmeier et al, 2003, in review); and that infants aged 13.5 months and older can attribute to an agent a predilection for a particular action (Song et al, 2005). The present research which built on these findings and asked whether 9.5-month-old infants might succeed in attributing to an agent a disposition involving a particular action.…”

“…In a recent experiment (Song et al, 2005), we asked whether 13.5-month-old infants could attribute to an agent a disposition involving a particular action. Specifically, after watching an agent perform the same action on various objects, would infants attribute to the agent a disposition to perform this recurring action, and would they then use this information to predict which of two objects-one that could be used to perform the action and one that could not-the agent would grasp next?…”

“…Since by 9 month infants can already attribute dispositions involving objects and agents, it seemed plausible that they would also succeed in attributing dispositions involving actions. Experiment 1 used a procedure similar to that of Song et al (2005). The infants first received three familiarization trials in which they saw a human agent grasp an object on an apparatus floor and slide it forward and backward twice; a toy fish, a box, and a baby shoe were used in the first, second, and third trial, respectively (see Fig.…”

Children reason about shared preferences.

“…Even more impressive, 6-and 10-month-old infants have been shown to prefer individuals who have demonstrated helping behavior over an individual who has shown hindering behavior, as demonstrated by their reaching and looking behavior (Hamlin et al, 2007). In another study that examined the ability to recognize the dispositions of others, Song, Baillargeon, and Fisher (2005) found that 13-month-old infants expected that an actor whom they had observed sliding various toys back and forth would select a new toy that afforded the same sliding motion. These findings suggest that infants can attribute a disposition to another on the basis of their behavior in one situation and expect their new behaviors to reflect that disposition.…”