title: Discrimination of biomechanically possible and impossible hand movements at birth.
abstract: The development of human body perception has long been investigated, but little is known about its early origins. This study focused on how a body part highly relevant to the human species, namely the hand, is perceived a few days after birth. Using a preferential-looking paradigm, 24- to 48-hr-old newborns watched biomechanically possible and impossible dynamic hand gestures (Experiment 1, N = 15) and static hand postures (Experiment 2, N = 15). In Experiment 1, newborns looked longer at the impossible, compared to the possible, hand movement, whereas in Experiment 2 no visual preference emerged. These findings suggest that early in life the representation of the human body may be shaped by sensory-motor experience.
authors.affiliation: University of Milano-Bicocca.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Longhi
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Senna
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bolognini
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bulf
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tagliabue
authors.forename: Viola Macchi
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Cassia
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Turati
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*