title: Location, location, location: development of spatiotemporal sequence learning in infancy.
abstract: We investigated infants' sensitivity to spatiotemporal structure. In Experiment 1, circles appeared in a statistically defined spatial pattern. At test 11-month-olds, but not 8-month-olds, looked longer at a novel spatial sequence. Experiment 2 presented different color/shape stimuli, but only the location sequence was violated during test; 8-month-olds preferred the novel spatial structure, but 5-month-olds did not. In Experiment 3, the locations but not color/shape pairings were constant at test; 5-month-olds showed a novelty preference. Experiment 4 examined "online learning": We recorded eye movements of 8-month-olds watching a spatiotemporal sequence. Saccade latencies to predictable locations decreased. We argue that temporal order statistics involving informative spatial relations become available to infants during the first year after birth, assisted by multiple cues.
authors: Birkbeck College, University of London, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, London, UK. n.kirkham@bbk.ac.uk
authors: Natasha Z
authors: NZ
authors: Kirkham
authors: Jonathan A
authors: JA
authors: Slemmer
authors: Daniel C
authors: DC
authors: Richardson
authors: Scott P
authors: SP
authors: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011930:Reaction Time; D012438:Saccades; D012691:Serial Learning; D013998:Time Perception