Spatial differentiation occurs in 6-8 months infants: A new view of the Spatial Orientation Paradigm

The ability to locate events after a change of position of the observer has been studied with the Spatial Orientation Paradigm (SOP). Inconsistent results have been reported about the age and quality of the environment from which such ability is presented. Such inconsistencies could be due to the limited recording of a single discrete response during the test and could be resolved with the analysis of the spatiotemporal continuum of behavior. In the present study, we compared the process of spatial differentiation in prelocomotor infants aged 6 to 8 months under heterogeneous or homogeneous environment using a variation of the SOP. Six infants participated. Half of them were exposed to a homogeneous space and half to a heterogeneous space. In contrast to the standard SOP, the continuous behavior of the infants was analyzed in both training and testing. The results indicate differences in the spatial behavior of infants as a function of the homogeneity or heterogeneity of the environment. Under homogeneous space, infants limited their activity toward the target location during training and responded incorrectly during test trials. Under heterogeneous space, infants engaged in more inspection and comparison between the two potential locations throughout training, while during testing, they presented correct responses or response corrections. These results show spatial differentiation in prelocomotor infants aged between 6 to 8 months under a heterogeneous environment. The empirical and conceptual implications of these findings in the field are discussed, as well as the utility of incorporating continuous behavioral analysis into the SOP.