Choosing the shortest way to Mum: auditory guided rotation in 6- to 9-month-old infants.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of auditory information for rotation of the shortest way in twelve 6- to 9-month-old sighted infants. Behavior was manipulated by means of an auditory stimulus presented in four different directional angles (90 degrees , 112.5 degrees , 135 degrees , and 157.5 degrees ) to the right and to the left behind the infants, and in one non-directional angle (180 degrees ). Infants lay in a prone position and had magnetic trackers fastened to the head and body which measured their rotation direction and angular velocity. The results showed that infants not only consistently chose the shortest over the longest way, but also rotated with a higher peak angular velocity as the angle to be covered between themselves and the goal increased. The results did not show significant preferences for one particular rotation direction. The study can contribute to the understanding of the auditory system as a functional listening system where auditory information is used as a perceptual source for prospectively guiding behavior in the environment.
Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway. audrey.meer@svt.ntnu.no
Audrey L H
AL
van der Meer
Marte
M
Ramstad
F R Ruud
FR
van der Weel
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000367:Age Factors; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D016684:Prone Position / Q000502:physiology; D012399:Rotation; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*