Ní Choisdealbha Áine, Westermann Gert, Dunn Kirsty, Reid Vincent
Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, UK.
Br J Dev Psychol. 2016 Mar;34(1):115-31. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12116. Epub 2015 Sep 28.
When learning about the functions of novel tools, it is possible that infants may use associative and motoric processes. This study investigated the ability of 16-month-olds to associate the orientation in which an actor held a dual-function tool with the actor's prior demonstrated interest in one of two target objects, and their use of the tool on that target. The actors' hand posture did not differ between conditions. The infants were shown stimuli in which two actors acted upon novel objects with a novel tool, each actor employing a different function of the tool. Using an eye-tracker, infants' looking time at images depicting the actors holding the tool in an orientation congruent or incongruent with the actor's goal was measured. Infants preferred to look at the specific part of the tool that was incongruent with the actor's goal. Results show that the association formed involves the specific part of the tool, the actor, and the object the actor acted upon, but not the orientation of the tool. The capacity to form such associations is demonstrated in this study in the absence of motor information that would allow 16-month-olds to generate a specific representation of how the tool should be held for each action via mirroring processes.
在了解新型工具的功能时，婴儿有可能会运用联想和运动过程。本研究调查了16个月大的婴儿将动作执行者手持具有双重功能工具的方向与执行者之前对两个目标物体之一所表现出的兴趣联系起来的能力，以及他们在该目标上对工具的使用情况。不同条件下执行者的手部姿势没有差异。向婴儿展示了这样的刺激场景：两个执行者用一种新型工具对新型物体进行操作，每个执行者使用工具的不同功能。使用眼动仪测量婴儿在观看描绘执行者以与目标一致或不一致的方向手持工具的图像时的注视时间。婴儿更喜欢注视工具中与执行者目标不一致的特定部分。结果表明，形成的联想涉及工具的特定部分、执行者以及执行者操作的物体，但不涉及工具的方向。在本研究中，在没有运动信息的情况下证明了形成这种联想的能力，而运动信息可以让16个月大的婴儿通过镜像过程生成关于每种动作应如何手持工具的具体表征。
