The development of prehension in infants.

Halverson, H. M.

doi:10.1037/10786-004

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…There is, finally, another and more plausible interpretation of the results. At 5-6 months of age, infants are not predominantly using the thumb and the index linger in grasping objects (sec, e.g., Halverson, 1931). Instead, they use the medial part of the hand and the palm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, at 13 months of age the timing of the grasp shows adultlike properties. Around the same age, with the maturation of the pyramidal tract, infants are able to control fractionated finger movements, and with that, they master more delicate grasping actions like the pincer grasp (Halverson, 1931; Lawrence & Kuypers, 1968a). It can therefore be concluded that from that age on, the child possesses an efficient manual system both for capturing, retrieving, and manipulating objects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preparation for grasping an object: A developmental study.

Hofsten¹,

Rönnqvist²

1988

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfor

246

206

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The development of visually controlled grasping actions was studied in two experiments. An optoelectronic technique (SELSPOT) was used to monitor the opening and closing of the hand during reaching actions by measuring the change in the distance between thumb and index finger. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to establish an adult criterion for the development. It was shown that adults started closing the hand around the target well before touch and that the timing was dependent on the size of the target. The hand started to close earlier when grasping a small rather than a large target. In addition, the degree of hand opening was also less for a small than for a large target. In Experiment 2 it was shown that infants who were 5-6, 9, and 13 months of age also controlled their grasping actions visually and started closing the hand around the target in anticipation of the encounter rather than as a reaction to the encounter. However, the strategy of the two younger age groups was different from that of adults. They started closing the hand closer to the time of contact with the target than did the 13-month-olds, who were comparable to adults in this respect. The timing was not dependent on the size of the target in any of the infant groups. In all age groups, reaching and grasping were most commonly organized in a continuous way; that is, the hand started to close without any interruption in the approach. The opening of the hand was found to be adjusted to target size in the 9- and 13-month-olds but not in the 5-6 month olds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparation for grasping an object: A developmental study.

Hofsten¹,

Rönnqvist²

1988

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfor

246

206

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Histologically, the corticospinal tract is not fully myelinated until the age of 2 (Yakovlev and Lecours 1967). Behaviorally, children do not use the finger tip and thumb in opposition to grasp objects (pincer grip) until 6 mo of age at the earliest (Halverson 1943). Development of the pincer grip in monkeys was shown to be correlated with the maturation of the corticospinal tract to the cervical enlargement; this occurs around the age of 7 mo (Flament et al 1992b;Hall et al 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Could Different Directions of Infant Stepping Be Controlled by the Same Locomotor Central Pattern Generator?

Lamb¹,

Yang

2000

Journal of Neurophysiology

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This study examined the idea of whether the same central pattern generator (CPG) for locomotion can control different directions of walking in humans. Fifty-two infants, aged 2-11 mo, were tested. Infants were supported to walk on a treadmill at a variety of speeds. If forward stepping was elicited, stepping in the other directions (primarily sideways and backward) was attempted. The orientation of the infant on the treadmill belt determined the direction of stepping. In some infants, we also attempted to obtain a smooth transition from one direction to another by gradually changing the orientation of the infant during a stepping sequence. Limb segment motion and surface electromyography from the muscles of the lower limb were recorded. Most infants who showed sustained forward walking also could walk in all other directions. Thirty-three of 34 infants tested could step sideways. The success of eliciting backward stepping was 69%. Most of the infants who did not meet our backward stepping criteria did, however, make stepping movements. The different directions of stepping had similar responses to changes in treadmill speed. The relationship between stance and swing phase durations and cycle duration were the same regardless of the direction of stepping across a range of speeds. Some differences were noted in the muscle activation patterns during different directions of walking. For example, the hamstrings were much more active during the swing phase of backward walking compared with forward walking. The quadriceps was more active in the trailing leg during sideways walking. In some infants, we were able to elicit stepping along a continuum of directions. We found no discrete differences in either the electromyographic patterns or the temporal parameters of stepping as the direction of stepping was gradually changed. The results support the idea that the same locomotor CPG controls different directions of stepping in human infants. The fact that most infants were able to step in all directions, the similarity in the response to speed changes, and the absence of any discrete changes as the direction of stepping was changed gradually are all consistent with this hypothesis.

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“…This happens at around 4 months of age. The reaches are rather awkward and circuitous to begin with, but within just a few months they straighten out and turn into smooth and well-coordinated movements (Halverson, 1931(Halverson, , 1933Hofsten, 1979). How are the reaching movements of infants organized?…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Structuring of Early Reaching Movements: A Longitudinal Study

Hofsten¹

1991

Journal of Motor Behavior

478

333

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Reaches, performed by 5 infants, recorded at 19 weeks of age and every third week thereafter until 31 weeks of age, were studied quantitatively. Earlier findings about action units were confirmed. At all ages studied, movements were structured into phases of acceleration and deceleration. Reaching trajectories were found to be relatively straight within these units and to change direction between them. It was also found that at all ages, there was generally one dominating transport unit in each reach. The structuring of reaching movements changed in four important ways during the period studied. First, the sequential structuring became more systematic with age, with the dominating transport unit beginning the movement. Second, the duration of the transport unit became longer and covered a larger proportion of the approach. Third, the number of action units decreased with age, approaching the two-phase structure of adult reaching. Finally, reaching trajectories became straighter with age.

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The development of prehension in infants.

Cited by 16 publications

References 8 publications

Preparation for grasping an object: A developmental study.

Preparation for grasping an object: A developmental study.

Could Different Directions of Infant Stepping Be Controlled by the Same Locomotor Central Pattern Generator?

Structuring of Early Reaching Movements: A Longitudinal Study

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