title: Biological motion primes the animate/inanimate distinction in infancy.
abstract: Given that biological motion is both detected and preferred early in life, we tested the hypothesis that biological motion might be instrumental to infants' differentiation of animate and inanimate categories. Infants were primed with either point-light displays of realistic biological motion, random motion, or schematic biological motion of an unfamiliar shape. After being habituated to these displays, 12-month-old infants categorized animals and vehicles as well as furniture and vehicles with the sequential touching task. The findings indicated that infants primed with point-light displays of realistic biological motion showed better categorization of animates than those exposed to random or schematic biological motion. These results suggest that human biological motion might be one of the motion cues that provide the building blocks for infants' concept of animacy.
authors: Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Poulin-Dubois
authors: Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Crivello
authors: Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors: Kristyn
authors: K
authors: Wright
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*