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The developmental trajectory of pointing perception in the first year of life

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Abstract

The present study investigated the development of the neural basis of pointing perception in 6-month- and 13-month-old infants. In a spatial-cueing paradigm, infants were presented with a peripheral target followed by a hand pointing toward (congruent condition) or away (incongruent condition) from the previously cued location. EEG responses to the presentation of the hand were measured. Thirteen-month-olds demonstrated larger amplitudes of ERP component P400 to incongruent compared to congruent pointing gestures over posterior temporal areas; 6-month-olds did not show any differential activation. This result suggests that the neural correlates of pointing perception undergo substantial development between 6 and 13 months of age.

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Notes

  1. This p value referred to mean amplitude for congruent trial in the right hemisphere and was driven by one unusual high value in the non-pointer group (39.23 μV).

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by grants from the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (13/60525) to the first, second and third author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive Developmental Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0317, Blindern, Oslo, Norway

    Annika M. D. Melinder, Carolien Konijnenberg & Tone Hermansen

  2. Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland, Leipzig, Germany

    Moritz M. Daum

  3. Uppsala Child and Babylab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Gustaf Gredebäck

Authors
  1. Annika M. D. Melinder
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  2. Carolien Konijnenberg
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  3. Tone Hermansen
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  4. Moritz M. Daum
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  5. Gustaf Gredebäck
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Correspondence to Annika M. D. Melinder.

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Melinder, A.M.D., Konijnenberg, C., Hermansen, T. et al. The developmental trajectory of pointing perception in the first year of life. Exp Brain Res 233, 641–647 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-4143-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-4143-2

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