Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of biomechanical properties of motion on infants' perception of goal-directed grasping actions
AU - Geangu, Elena
AU - Senna, Irene
AU - Croci, Emanuela
AU - Turati, Chiara
PY - 2015/1
Y1 - 2015/1
N2 - From a very young age, infants perceive others' actions as goal directed. Yet, the processes underlying this competence are still debated. In this study, we investigated whether (a) 4- and 6-month-old infants and adults discriminate the biomechanical properties of the human hand within an action context, (b) the manipulation of the biomechanics of hand movements has an impact on the ability to anticipate the goal of an action, and (c) the emergence of motor experience with grasping is related to infants' ability to discriminate the biomechanics of hand movements and to anticipate the action goal. The 6-month-olds discriminated between biomechanically possible and impossible grasps, and in some (but not all) instances they made more anticipatory gaze shifts toward the goal of the possible action. Both the 4- and 6-month-olds' processing of biomechanical properties of the hand were significantly related to their ability to anticipate the goal of a grasping action. Importantly, those 4-month-olds with higher precision grasping skills manifested faster anticipatory gazes toward the goal of the action. These findings suggest that multiple sources of information from an action scene are interdependent and that both perceptual information and motor experience with an action are relevant for on-line prediction of the final goal of the action.
AB - From a very young age, infants perceive others' actions as goal directed. Yet, the processes underlying this competence are still debated. In this study, we investigated whether (a) 4- and 6-month-old infants and adults discriminate the biomechanical properties of the human hand within an action context, (b) the manipulation of the biomechanics of hand movements has an impact on the ability to anticipate the goal of an action, and (c) the emergence of motor experience with grasping is related to infants' ability to discriminate the biomechanics of hand movements and to anticipate the action goal. The 6-month-olds discriminated between biomechanically possible and impossible grasps, and in some (but not all) instances they made more anticipatory gaze shifts toward the goal of the possible action. Both the 4- and 6-month-olds' processing of biomechanical properties of the hand were significantly related to their ability to anticipate the goal of a grasping action. Importantly, those 4-month-olds with higher precision grasping skills manifested faster anticipatory gazes toward the goal of the action. These findings suggest that multiple sources of information from an action scene are interdependent and that both perceptual information and motor experience with an action are relevant for on-line prediction of the final goal of the action.
KW - Biomechanical properties of motion
KW - Action perception
KW - Biological motion
KW - Infancy
KW - Goal anticipation
KW - Motor experience
KW - MIRROR-NEURON SYSTEM
KW - 5-MONTH-OLD INFANTS
KW - IMPOSSIBLE ACTIONS
KW - ACTION PREDICTION
KW - EYE-TRACKING
KW - OBJECT
KW - MOVEMENTS
KW - SENSORIMOTOR
KW - INFORMATION
KW - EXPERIENCE
U2 - 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.08.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.08.005
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 25247632
VL - 129
SP - 55
EP - 67
JO - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
SN - 0022-0965
ER -