Visual-motor coordination in natural reaching of young children and adults.

Abstract

The current study investigated eye-hand coordination in natural reaching. We asked whether the speed of reaching related to the quality of visual information obtained by young children and adults. Participants played with objects on a table while their eye and hand movements were recorded. We developed new techniques to find reaching events in natural activity and to determine how closely participants aligned gaze to objects while reaching. Reaching speed and eye alignment were related for adults but not for children. These results suggest that adults but not children adapt reaching movements according to the quality of visual information (or vice-versa) during natural activity. We discuss possibilities for why this coordination was not observed in children.