ERIC Number: EJ975057
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1525-0008
EISSN: N/A
To Grasp or Not to Grasp: Infants' Actions toward Objects and Pictures
Ziemer, Christine J.; Plumert, Jodie M.; Pick, Anne D.
Infancy, v17 n5 p479-497 Sep-Oct 2012
We conducted two experiments to address questions over whether 9-month-old infants believe that objects depicted in realistic photographs can be picked up. In Experiment 1, we presented 9-month-old infants with realistic color photographs of objects, colored outlines of objects, abstract colored "blobs," and blank pages. Infants most commonly rubbed or patted depictions of all types. They also showed significantly more grasps toward the realistic photographs than toward the colored outlines, blobs, and blank pages, but only 24% of infants directed grasping exclusively at the photographs. In Experiment 2, we further explored infants' actions toward objects and pictures while controlling for tactile information. We presented 9-month-old infants with objects and pictures of objects under a glass cover in a false-bottom table. Although there were no significant differences between the proportion of rubs and pats infants directed toward the objects versus the photographs, infants exhibited significantly more grasping toward the objects than the photographs. Together, these findings show that 9-month-old infants largely direct appropriate actions toward realistic photographs and real objects, indicating that they perceive different affordances for pictures and objects. (Contains 4 figures and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Infants, Tactual Perception, Photography, Recognition (Psychology), Object Manipulation, Visual Aids
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A