TY - JOUR
T1 - No bridge too high
T2 - Infants decide whether to cross based on the probability of falling not the severity of the potential fall
AU - Kretch, Kari S.
AU - Adolph, Karen E.
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - Do infants, like adults, consider both the probability of falling and the severity of a potential fall when deciding whether to cross a bridge? Crawling and walking infants were encouraged to cross bridges varying in width over a small drop-off, a large drop-off, or no drop-off. Bridge width affects the probability of falling, whereas drop-off height affects the severity of the potential fall. For both crawlers and walkers, decisions about crossing bridges depended only on the probability of falling: As bridge width decreased, attempts to cross decreased, and gait modifications and exploration increased, but behaviors did not differ between small and large drop-off conditions. Similarly, decisions about descent depended on the probability of falling: Infants backed or crawled into the small drop-off, but avoided the large drop-off. With no drop-off, infants ran straight across. Results indicate that experienced crawlers and walkers accurately perceive affordances for locomotion, but they do not yet consider the severity of a potential fall when making decisions for action.
AB - Do infants, like adults, consider both the probability of falling and the severity of a potential fall when deciding whether to cross a bridge? Crawling and walking infants were encouraged to cross bridges varying in width over a small drop-off, a large drop-off, or no drop-off. Bridge width affects the probability of falling, whereas drop-off height affects the severity of the potential fall. For both crawlers and walkers, decisions about crossing bridges depended only on the probability of falling: As bridge width decreased, attempts to cross decreased, and gait modifications and exploration increased, but behaviors did not differ between small and large drop-off conditions. Similarly, decisions about descent depended on the probability of falling: Infants backed or crawled into the small drop-off, but avoided the large drop-off. With no drop-off, infants ran straight across. Results indicate that experienced crawlers and walkers accurately perceive affordances for locomotion, but they do not yet consider the severity of a potential fall when making decisions for action.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84876437468&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84876437468&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/desc.12045
DO - 10.1111/desc.12045
M3 - Article
C2 - 23587034
AN - SCOPUS:84876437468
SN - 1363-755X
VL - 16
SP - 336
EP - 351
JO - Developmental science
JF - Developmental science
IS - 3
ER -