Concurrences across time and sensorimotor capacities promote infant learning

Abstract

In infancy, sensorimotor capacities directly affect learning. Although developmental scientists have studied the link between sensorimotor capacities and learning, their work has focused primarily on a narrow window of time connecting just two domains. In this article, we propose that considering concurrences across multiple time points and domains provides novel insights into how sensorimotor capacities systematically shape learning. First, we present a developmental map synthesizing changes across the vision, motor, and language domains in the first 18 months of life. Using the map as a guide, we review literature identifying how changes in one sensorimotor domain affect learning. We then highlight additional concurrences that have not been systematically explored and use the concrete example of learning word‐object mappings to illustrate how the developmental map provides rich ground to raise new questions and revisit old ones. We end with a call to action to fill key gaps in the map by considering variations in other domains and cultures, as well as in atypical development.