The Integration of Body Movement and Attention in Young Infants

The normal development of adaptive behavior in humans depends on the integration of visual attention and body movement, yet little is known about the initial state of movement-attention coupling at the beginning of postnatal life. We studied 1- and 3-month-old infants during extended periods of visu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological science 2001-11, Vol.12 (6), p.523-526
Main Authors: Robertson, Steven S., Bacher, Leigh F., Huntington, Noelle Lalley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive behavior
Attention
Basal ganglia
Behavioral neuroscience
Body movement
Brain
Cognitive neuroscience
Data lines
Female
Humans
Infant
Infants
Kinesthesis
Male
Motor Activity
Orientation
Postpartum period
Psychology, Child
Psychomotor Performance
Reference Values
Research Reports
Sensors
Social development
T tests
Visual attention
Visual fixation
Visual Perception
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Summary:The normal development of adaptive behavior in humans depends on the integration of visual attention and body movement, yet little is known about the initial state of movement-attention coupling at the beginning of postnatal life. We studied 1- and 3-month-old infants during extended periods of visual exploration and found that spontaneous shifts of gaze are preceded by rapid changes in general body movement. The results reveal a tight link between motor activation and overt attention on a time scale of seconds or less. This link undergoes substantial developmental change in the first few weeks after birth. During that time, phasic motor activation may play a key role in visual exploration by helping to unlock gaze when the environment is unchanging.
ISSN:0956-7976
1467-9280
DOI:10.1111/1467-9280.00396