ERIC Number: EJ804148
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Aug
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0965
EISSN: N/A
Learning by Looking: Infants' Social Looking Behavior across the Transition from Crawling to Walking
Clearfield, Melissa W.; Osborne, Christine N.; Mullen, Molly
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, v100 n4 p297-307 Aug 2008
This study investigated how infants gather information about their environment through looking and how that changes with increases in motor skills. In Experiment 1, 9.5- and 14-month-olds participated in a 10-min free play session with both a stranger and ambiguous toys present. There was a significant developmental progression from passive to active social engagement, as evidenced by younger infants watching others communicate more and older infants making more bids for social interaction. Experiment 2 examined longitudinally the impact of age and walking onset on this progression. The transition to independent walking marked significant changes in how often infants watched others communicate and made active bids for social interaction. Results suggest that infants transition from passive observers as crawlers to active participants in their social environment with the onset of walking. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Play, Physical Activities, Infants, Interpersonal Relationship, Interaction, Social Environment, Psychomotor Skills, Motor Development, Visual Stimuli, Developmental Stages, Age Differences
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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