Postural and Object‐Oriented Experiences Advance Early Reaching, Object Exploration, and Means–End Behavior

Abstract

The effects of 3 weeks of social (control), postural, or object-oriented experiences on 9- to 21-week-old infants' (N = 42) reaching, exploration, and means-end behaviors were assessed. Coders recorded object contacts, mouthing, fingering, attention, and affect from video. Postural and object-oriented experiences advanced reaching, haptic exploration of objects, and developing means-end behavior compared to social experience. Object-oriented experience best-advanced means-end behavior. The results suggest that the development of novel behaviors is dependent on multiple subsystems and can be similarly advanced by addressing a variety of these subsystems. They also suggest that past experiences with active object exploration can facilitate early information processing and the development of early knowledge.

Learning to reach with “sticky” or “non-sticky” mittens: A tale of developmental trajectories

“…The act of grasping the object per se typically comes later, when infants have figured out how to make hand-toy contact (von Hofsten & Lindhagen, 1979). A recent study by Lobo and Galloway (2008) is consistent with such an explanation. These researchers found that pre-reaching infants who received a similar "grasping" experience did not explore objects much until after the onset of reaching -that is, when they were successful at touching the toy.…”

“…Another key way infants select successful reaching movements is through repeated experience and exposure to the reaching-specific context which allows for active reaching attempts toward objects, exploration of the properties and consequences of their arm movements, and selection of those movements that prove to be the most successful, or valuable. As these contemporary theoretical perspectives emerged, investigations into the effects that different types of sensorymotor experiences have on the formation of new forms of behavior have become increasingly popular (Bojczyk & Corbetta, 2004;Libertus & Needham, 2009, 2010Lobo & Galloway, 2008;Lobo, Galloway, & Savelsbergh, 2004;Needham, Barrett, & Peterman, 2002). These studies show in different ways that particular types of sensory-motor experiences can influence the way infants interact with objects and affect the formation of goal-directed behaviors and developmental trajectories.…”

Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention From NICU to Home

“…Coding reliability was assessed on 20% of the visits, with an agreement of 80.2% for hands to midline and 91.8% for hand contact. 13 The Early Problem Solving Indicator (EPSI), the cognitive portion of the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI), 21 was used to assess play-based problem solving during infant-directed play. The IGDI developers certified the EPSI coder as a reliable coder for the EPSI with greater than 85% agreement with master coders.…”

“…10,11 Although some studies have challenged current practice patterns, families of infants born preterm are not routinely provided with information or recommendations on why and how to provide early experiences in the first months of life. 6,7,[12][13][14] Delaying intervention limits the amount of intervention provided during a critical window for altering neural pathways and likely reduces the efficacy of EI on motor development. 3,10,15 Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention (SPEEDI) is an intervention that blends the need for early and intense intervention with family support to engage families in their child's development during transition from the NICU to home and the community.…”

Sit happens: Does sitting development perturb reaching development, or vice versa?

“…Video recordings were reviewed by a coder who was blinded to the purpose of the study. Intra-rater reliability was established at >90% for this coder for 20% of the data using the equation: [agreed/(agreed + disagreed)] × 100 (Angulo-Kinzler & Horn, 2001;Harris & Lahey, 1978;Lobo & Galloway, 2008). The coder used MacSHAPA behavioral coding software to review the videos and code for instances and durations of each behavior.…”