title: Learning to reach with "sticky" or "non-sticky" mittens: a tale of developmental trajectories.
abstract: The effects of "sticky" and "non-sticky" mittens upon the progression of intentional reaching were examined over 16-day training in 24 non-reaching infants aged 2 months and 21 days. Thirteen age-matched controls did not receive training. Both mittens groups progressed over time; however, by day 16, only the "non-sticky" group made significantly more toy contacts than the controls when looking at the toy. Infants in the "non-sticky" group also directed their looking at the toy more than infants in the "sticky" mittens group. These results support the interpretation that repeated task exposure, with active, reaching-specific experience, was more likely to enhance the formation of object-directed behaviors than with the added provision of grasping simulation via "sticky mittens."
authors: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States. Electronic address: joshua.williams@armstrong.edu.
authors: Joshua L
authors: JL
authors: Williams
authors: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Corbetta
authors: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States.
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Guan
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003210:Concept Formation; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D014110:Touch
keywords: Perceptual-motor learning; Reaching; Sensory-motor experience