Lecture Notes: Developmental Psychology and Infant Motor Skills

Introduction

• Lecture by Karen (full house attendance)
• Filming organized by Dana Brooks
  • Concerns about filming include constraint on expression and reduced attendance

Karen's Background

• Bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College
• PhD from Emory University
• PhD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Influential mentors: Eleanor Gibson, Esther Thelen, Ulrich Neisser
• Awards: NIH Merit Award, chair of NIH study section
• Original experimental paradigms focusing on interaction with the environment

Research Focus: Infant Motor Development

• Traditional methods of studying infant movements
• New approaches to gain better insights

Rethinking Motor Development

• Motor development traditionally seen as universal
• Cultural impact on skill acquisition (e.g., sitting, reaching, walking)
• Importance of child-rearing practices
• Lack of global representation in developmental science

Cultural Differences in Infant Care

• Mali: Babies held without head support, excercise accelerates skill onset
• Western culture: Infants learn to sit around 6 months
• Different caregiving expectations and outcomes

Effects of Diapers on Walking

• Diapers negatively impact step length, step width, and dynamic base angle
• Naked walking results in better performance
• Cost of bulky diapers equates to regressing in motor skill development

Cradle Use in Central Asia

• Swaddling in Gabor cradles delays motor skill development (e.g., crawling, walking)
• Dose-response effect: More time swaddled, greater delay

Experimental Studies and Observations

• Use of video to capture infant interactions
• Studies on visual cliffs and perception-action systems
• Experience teaches infants to adapt their actions

Longitudinal Studies

• Infants show adaptive behavior with increased experience
• Separate learning curves for different motor skills (sitting, crawling, cruising, walking)

Perception and Action

• Different perception-action systems for crawling and walking
• Infants need to relearn affordances with new skills

Natural Walking vs. Straight Path Task

• Traditional gait analysis focused on straight paths
• Natural walking includes starting, stopping, and omnidirectional movement
• Natural walking provides more insights into developmental processes

Implications for Robotics and AI

• Training robots with varied experience improves performance
• Natural walking strategies lead to better outcomes in RoboCup

Importance of Video in Research

• Captures richness not available through other methods
• Promotes scientific transparency and reuse

Conclusion

• Emphasizes integration of perceptual guidance in motor skill development
• Calls for capturing natural phenomena and leveraging video for enhanced understanding

---

Key Takeaways

• Cultural practices significantly influence motor skill development
• Natural walking provides a more comprehensive understanding of movement
• Video and open data sharing can enhance research and application in behavioral science

---