title: Perceptual sensitivity and motoric competence in 5- and 6-month-old infants.
abstract: The authors explored whether 5- to 6-month-old infants were sensitive to perceptual information and how they used perception as a recognition cue to search for a hidden object. In addition, the authors categorized and examined infant grasp by developmental effectiveness to determine any impact on infant search behaviors. In a within-participants design, 20 infants were presented with a toy in 2 occluder conditions. The toy was hidden under either a thick, camouflaging cloth or a thin, semitransparent cloth. The data revealed significant effects of perceptual sensitivity, age, and motor sophistication on search tasks. The results suggest that motor competence might be a limiting factor in infants' abilities to link motoric responses to notions about an object.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of West Florida, Fort Walton Beach 32547, USA. mpelton0@uwf.edu
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deckert-Pelton
authors.forename: Sherri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003210:Concept Formation; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011340:Problem Solving; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011597:Psychomotor Performance