Scale errors offer evidence for a perception-action dissociation early in life.
We report a perception-action dissociation in the behavior of normally developing young children. In adults and older children, the perception of an object and the organization of actions on it are seamlessly integrated. However, as documented here, 18- to 30-month-old children sometimes fail to use information about object size and make serious attempts to perform impossible actions on miniature objects. They try, for example, to sit in a dollhouse chair or to get into a small toy car. We interpret scale errors as reflecting problems with inhibitory control and with the integration of visual information for perception and action.
DeLoache
Judy S
JS
Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. jdeloache@virginia.edu
Uttal
David H
DH
Rosengren
Karl S
KS
D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D009043:Motor Activity; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012858:Size Perception; D014796:Visual Perception