Teach to reach: The effects of active vs. passive reaching experiences on action and perception

Abstract

Reaching is an important and early emerging motor skill that allows infants to interact with the physical and social world. However, few studies have considered how reaching experiences shape infants’ own motor development and their perception of actions performed by others. In the current study, two groups of infants received daily parent guided play sessions over a two-week training period. Using “Sticky Mittens”, one group was enabled to independently pick up objects whereas the other group only passively observed their parent’s actions on objects. Following training, infants’ manual and visual exploration of objects, agents, and actions in a live and a televised context were assessed. Our results showed that only infants who experienced independent object apprehension advanced in their reaching behavior, and showed changes in their visual exploration of agents and objects in a live setting. Passive observation was not sufficient to change infants’ behavior. To our surprise, the effects of the training did not seem to generalize to a televised observation context. Together, our results suggest that early motor training can jump-start infants’ transition into reaching and inform their perception of others’ actions.

Encouragement is Nothing Without Control: Factors Influencing the Development of Reaching and Face Preference

“…In a more controlled version of the sticky mittens procedure, Libertus and Needham (2010) showed that active engagement and first-hand experiences with reaching are necessary to induce changes in reaching behavior or face preferences. In this experiment, one group of infants received Active Training using Velcro mittens while a second group received Passive Training providing closely matched, parent-guided visual and tactile stimulation using similar mittens and toys but without first-hand reaching experiences because 'nonsticky' mittens were used.…”

“…For comparison purposes, data from an additional 36 infants who completed the PT (n = 18) or the AT (n = 18) training procedures was obtained from previously published reports (Libertus & Needham, 2010, 2011 and analyzed along with data collected for the current study. These two groups provide a critical comparison for the EE and ME procedures as the AT group experienced both parental encouragement and control over object whereas the PT group experienced neither.…”

“…To answer this question and to study the effect of motor experiences on development, experimental manipulation of motor experiences are necessary. The work of Needham and colleagues exemplifies this approach by providing young infants with scaffolded reaching experiences to selectively study the effect of these actions (Libertus & Needham, 2010, 2011Needham, Barrett, & Peterman, 2002). Building on this work, the current study manipulates specific components of the training experience to investigate how factors such as social context or object manipulation opportunities influence infants' learning from early reaching and object exploration experiences.…”

Behavioural Neurology of Personality Disorders: A Bi-dimensional Model

“…In the initial stages of infancy, these are simple and reflexive functions that engage a limited repertoire of impulses. However, the process continues to develop, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, at all stages of development with progressive expansions in efficiency and richness, becoming activities like manipulation, experimentation, adventuring, and even leadership [148][149][150][151][152].…”

Toy-Based Technologies for Children with Disabilities Simultaneously Supporting Self-Directed Mobility, Participation, and Function: A Tech Report

“…Research in developmental psychology and pediatric rehabilitation demonstrates that active (i.e., self-directed) movement experiences are fundamentally different and more advantageous compared to passive movement experiences (Held and Hein, 1963;Libertus and Needham, 2010;Jones et al, 2012;Lobo et al, 2013). Thus, the relatively passive lives of young children with disabilities who experience limited mobility are especially disturbing.…”