Award
NIH Reporter #1R03HD112586-01
How infants learn about people and object causal action
Recipient
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Award Amount
$158,500.00
Ceiling
$158,500.00
Awarded
August 28, 2023
Identifier
1R03HD112586-01
The project investigates the developmental timetable and mechanisms by which infants learn about causal actions of people and objects, testing competing theories of core knowledge versus associative learning, with potential implications for interventions in autism spectrum disorder.
Description
This project examines when and how infants learn about human and object causal action. Understanding the developmental timetable and developmental mechanism by which infants acquire this knowledge has implications for cognitive and developmental scientists’ understanding of the origins of knowledge. In addition, insight into when and how infants learn about human and object causal action has implications for pediatricians and pediatric psychologists who may use the results from this project to design novel interventions that target key aspects of the proposed mechanism to improve the learning outcomes for individuals with profound social deficits such as individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).