To reach or not to reach? Perception of body effectivities by young infants

Two experiments compared 6-month-old infants as they reach for an object. All were proficient reachers but with different levels of sitting ability. The object was presented at various distances, within and beyond reach of the infant. In the first experiment, the scaling of perceived reachability in infants with different postural abilities (i.e. non-sitter, near-sitter, and sitter infants) was explored. The second experiment investigated the role of proprioception in the scaling of perceived reachability by non-sitter and sitter infants. In general, results suggest that perceived reachability is calibrated in relation to the degree of postural control achieved by the infant. Infants demonstrate a sense of their own situation in the environment as well as a sense of their own body effectivities. Both determine the execution, or non-execution, of reaching for a distal object by young infants.