Bennett I Bertenthal
Biographic Data
| ID | 1463620 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bennett I Bertenthal |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bennett I |
| FAMILY NAME | Bertenthal |
| SIGNATURE | BERTENTHAL B I |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8219-3154 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Biobehavioral Correlates of Infants' Social Bidding During the Still‐Face Paradigm
Positive social bidding refers to moments when infants look at an unresponsive caregiver and try to re‐engage the social partner via smiling and/or vocalizing. Prior to six months of age, there is considerable variability in the extent to which infants engage in positive social bidding. In this study we explore whether infants' and mothers' cardiac vagal tone is associated with these individual differences. Mothers and their 4‐ to 6‐month‐old inf…
Associations between acoustic features of maternal speech and infants’ emotion regulation following a social stressor
Caregiver voices may provide cues to mobilize or calm infants. This study examined whether maternal prosody predicted changes in infants’ biobehavioral state after the still face, a stressor in which the mother withdraws and reinstates social engagement. Ninety‐four dyads participated in the study (infant age 4–8 months). Infants’ heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (measuring cardiac vagal tone) were derived from an electrocardiogram (EC…
The temporal dynamics of infants' joint attention: Effects of others' gaze cues and manual actions
When do infants begin to follow a point
Infants' understanding of a pointing gesture represents a major milestone in their communicative development. The current consensus is that infants are not capable of following a pointing gesture until 9-12 months of age. In this article, we present evidence from 4- and 6-month-old infants challenging this conclusion. Infants were tested with a spatial cueing paradigm in Experiment 1 (500-ms stimulus-target onset asynchrony [SOA]) and Experiment …
Common Coding of Observation and Execution of Action in 9-Month-Old Infants
Do 9-month-old infants motorically simulate actions they perceive others perform? Two experiments tested whether action observation, like overt reaching, is sufficient to elicit the Piagetian A-not-B error. Infants recovered a toy hidden at location A or observed an experimenter recover the toy. After the toy was hidden at location B, infants in both conditions perseverated in reaching to A, demonstrating that active search by the infant is not n…
Advancing Our Understanding of Early Perceptual and Cognitive Development
Recent progress in understanding the perceptual and cognitive capacities of young infants is extremely impressive, especially since many of the new findings and theoretical developments are challenging long held beliefs about the origins of mind. This progress is no mean feat given that researchers are limited to studying a preverbal human with a limited repertoire of coordinated motor responses. It is testimony to the creativity and originality …
Challenges and opportunities in the psychological sciences
In this commentary, the author draws on his experiences at the National Science Foundation to reveal that threats to the value and autonomy of social science research are more common than most psychologists suspect. To reduce the likelihood of these threats in the future, it is necessary to improve the public's understanding and confidence in the psychological sciences. The key is to focus on the results and accomplishments of the research and to…
Challenges and opportunities in the psychological sciences
The Development of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments in Infancy
Efficient voluntary action requires postural adjustments that compensate for potential balance disturbances before they occur. These anticipatory postural adjustments have been widely investigated in adults, but relatively little is known about their development, especially during infancy. This study examined the early development of anticipatory postural activity in support of pulling action while standing. A total of 34 infants between 10 and 1…
Perception of the symmetrical patterning of human gait by infants
Two experiments tested 3- and 5-month-old infants' sensitivity to properties of point-light displays of human gait. In Experiment 1, infants were tested for discrimination of point-light displays of a walker and a runner, which, although they differed in many ways, were equivalent with regard to the phasing of limb movements. Results revealed that 3-month-old, but not 5-month-old, infants discriminated these displays. In Experiment 2, the symmetr…
Young children can extend motion verbs to point-light displays
In the first study using point-light displays (lights corresponding to the joints of the human body) to examine children's understanding of verbs, 3-year-olds were tested to see if they could perceive familiar actions that corresponded to motion verbs (e.g., walking). Experiment 1 showed that children could extend familiar motion verbs (e.g., walking and dancing) to videotaped point-light actions shown in the intermodal preferential looking parad…
Using Object Knowledge in Visual Tracking and Reaching
Nine‐month‐old infants were presented with an engaging and challenging task of visually tracking and reaching for a rolling ball that disappeared and reappeared from behind an occluder. On some trials, the infant observed the experimenter place a barrier on the ball's track; the barrier remained partially visible above the occluder throughout the remainder of the trial. When the task involved only predictive tracking, infants' anticipatory gaze s…
Infants' perception of object unity in translating and rotating displays
In 3 experiments, the authors examined the sensitivity of infants to the unity of a partly occluded moving rod undergoing translation, rotation, or oscillation. Four-month-old infants were sensitive to the unity of the partly occluded rod when it translated, but not when it rotated, behind an occluder. Six-month-old infants perceived the rotating rod as continuing behind the occluder, but they did not perceive the unity of a rod that oscillated b…
Infants' detection of shearing motion in random-dot displays
Random-dot kinematograms were used to estimate infants' thresholds for shearing motion in the absence of flicker and position cues. The principal advantage of these stimuli is that changes in dot position are camouflaged by the presence of numerous matching dots, thus necessitating the detection of motion before the extraction of local pattern features. Thirteen- and 20-week-old infants were tested with a forced-choice preferential looking techni…
A systems view of behavioral canalization: Theory and commentary
Infants' sensitivity to optical flow for controlling posture
Infants' encoding of kinetic displays varying in relative coherence
The importance of self-produced locomotion in infancy
The significance of developmental sequences for investigating the what and how of development
Developmental sequences are an important tool for analyzing the content and process of development
Development of self-recognition in the infant
A hypothesized five-stage developmental sequence of self-recognition behaviors was tested in 48 infants between 6 and 24 months of age, and the self-recognition sequence was compared to the development of object permanence. The predicted self-recognition sequence consisted of five tasks that the infants performed in front of the mirror, with later-developing tasks requiring the coordination of a larger number of behaviors relating to the infant's…
Development of self-recognition in the infant
A hypothesized five-stage developmental sequence of self-recognition behaviors was tested in 48 infants between 6 and 24 months of age, and the self-recognition sequence was compared to the development of object permanence. The predicted self-recognition sequence consisted of five tasks that the infants performed in front of the mirror, with later-developing tasks requiring the coordination of a larger number of behaviors relating to the infant's…
Infants' sensitivity to optical flow for controlling posture
Young children can extend motion verbs to point-light displays
In the first study using point-light displays (lights corresponding to the joints of the human body) to examine children's understanding of verbs, 3-year-olds were tested to see if they could perceive familiar actions that corresponded to motion verbs (e.g., walking). Experiment 1 showed that children could extend familiar motion verbs (e.g., walking and dancing) to videotaped point-light actions shown in the intermodal preferential looking parad…
When do infants begin to follow a point
Infants' understanding of a pointing gesture represents a major milestone in their communicative development. The current consensus is that infants are not capable of following a pointing gesture until 9-12 months of age. In this article, we present evidence from 4- and 6-month-old infants challenging this conclusion. Infants were tested with a spatial cueing paradigm in Experiment 1 (500-ms stimulus-target onset asynchrony [SOA]) and Experiment …
Infants' perception of object unity in translating and rotating displays
In 3 experiments, the authors examined the sensitivity of infants to the unity of a partly occluded moving rod undergoing translation, rotation, or oscillation. Four-month-old infants were sensitive to the unity of the partly occluded rod when it translated, but not when it rotated, behind an occluder. Six-month-old infants perceived the rotating rod as continuing behind the occluder, but they did not perceive the unity of a rod that oscillated b…
Infants' detection of shearing motion in random-dot displays
Random-dot kinematograms were used to estimate infants' thresholds for shearing motion in the absence of flicker and position cues. The principal advantage of these stimuli is that changes in dot position are camouflaged by the presence of numerous matching dots, thus necessitating the detection of motion before the extraction of local pattern features. Thirteen- and 20-week-old infants were tested with a forced-choice preferential looking techni…
Perception of the symmetrical patterning of human gait by infants
Two experiments tested 3- and 5-month-old infants' sensitivity to properties of point-light displays of human gait. In Experiment 1, infants were tested for discrimination of point-light displays of a walker and a runner, which, although they differed in many ways, were equivalent with regard to the phasing of limb movements. Results revealed that 3-month-old, but not 5-month-old, infants discriminated these displays. In Experiment 2, the symmetr…
Infants' encoding of kinetic displays varying in relative coherence
Development of self-recognition in the infant
A hypothesized five-stage developmental sequence of self-recognition behaviors was tested in 48 infants between 6 and 24 months of age, and the self-recognition sequence was compared to the development of object permanence. The predicted self-recognition sequence consisted of five tasks that the infants performed in front of the mirror, with later-developing tasks requiring the coordination of a larger number of behaviors relating to the infant's…
The significance of developmental sequences for investigating the what and how of development
Developmental sequences are an important tool for analyzing the content and process of development
The importance of self-produced locomotion in infancy
Infants' encoding of kinetic displays varying in relative coherence
Infants' sensitivity to optical flow for controlling posture
A systems view of behavioral canalization: Theory and commentary
Infants' detection of shearing motion in random-dot displays
Random-dot kinematograms were used to estimate infants' thresholds for shearing motion in the absence of flicker and position cues. The principal advantage of these stimuli is that changes in dot position are camouflaged by the presence of numerous matching dots, thus necessitating the detection of motion before the extraction of local pattern features. Thirteen- and 20-week-old infants were tested with a forced-choice preferential looking techni…
Infants' perception of object unity in translating and rotating displays
In 3 experiments, the authors examined the sensitivity of infants to the unity of a partly occluded moving rod undergoing translation, rotation, or oscillation. Four-month-old infants were sensitive to the unity of the partly occluded rod when it translated, but not when it rotated, behind an occluder. Six-month-old infants perceived the rotating rod as continuing behind the occluder, but they did not perceive the unity of a rod that oscillated b…
Using Object Knowledge in Visual Tracking and Reaching
Nine‐month‐old infants were presented with an engaging and challenging task of visually tracking and reaching for a rolling ball that disappeared and reappeared from behind an occluder. On some trials, the infant observed the experimenter place a barrier on the ball's track; the barrier remained partially visible above the occluder throughout the remainder of the trial. When the task involved only predictive tracking, infants' anticipatory gaze s…
Advancing Our Understanding of Early Perceptual and Cognitive Development
Recent progress in understanding the perceptual and cognitive capacities of young infants is extremely impressive, especially since many of the new findings and theoretical developments are challenging long held beliefs about the origins of mind. This progress is no mean feat given that researchers are limited to studying a preverbal human with a limited repertoire of coordinated motor responses. It is testimony to the creativity and originality …
Challenges and opportunities in the psychological sciences
In this commentary, the author draws on his experiences at the National Science Foundation to reveal that threats to the value and autonomy of social science research are more common than most psychologists suspect. To reduce the likelihood of these threats in the future, it is necessary to improve the public's understanding and confidence in the psychological sciences. The key is to focus on the results and accomplishments of the research and to…
Challenges and opportunities in the psychological sciences
The Development of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments in Infancy
Efficient voluntary action requires postural adjustments that compensate for potential balance disturbances before they occur. These anticipatory postural adjustments have been widely investigated in adults, but relatively little is known about their development, especially during infancy. This study examined the early development of anticipatory postural activity in support of pulling action while standing. A total of 34 infants between 10 and 1…
Perception of the symmetrical patterning of human gait by infants
Two experiments tested 3- and 5-month-old infants' sensitivity to properties of point-light displays of human gait. In Experiment 1, infants were tested for discrimination of point-light displays of a walker and a runner, which, although they differed in many ways, were equivalent with regard to the phasing of limb movements. Results revealed that 3-month-old, but not 5-month-old, infants discriminated these displays. In Experiment 2, the symmetr…
Young children can extend motion verbs to point-light displays
In the first study using point-light displays (lights corresponding to the joints of the human body) to examine children's understanding of verbs, 3-year-olds were tested to see if they could perceive familiar actions that corresponded to motion verbs (e.g., walking). Experiment 1 showed that children could extend familiar motion verbs (e.g., walking and dancing) to videotaped point-light actions shown in the intermodal preferential looking parad…
Common Coding of Observation and Execution of Action in 9-Month-Old Infants
Do 9-month-old infants motorically simulate actions they perceive others perform? Two experiments tested whether action observation, like overt reaching, is sufficient to elicit the Piagetian A-not-B error. Infants recovered a toy hidden at location A or observed an experimenter recover the toy. After the toy was hidden at location B, infants in both conditions perseverated in reaching to A, demonstrating that active search by the infant is not n…
When do infants begin to follow a point
Infants' understanding of a pointing gesture represents a major milestone in their communicative development. The current consensus is that infants are not capable of following a pointing gesture until 9-12 months of age. In this article, we present evidence from 4- and 6-month-old infants challenging this conclusion. Infants were tested with a spatial cueing paradigm in Experiment 1 (500-ms stimulus-target onset asynchrony [SOA]) and Experiment …
The temporal dynamics of infants' joint attention: Effects of others' gaze cues and manual actions
Associations between acoustic features of maternal speech and infants’ emotion regulation following a social stressor
Caregiver voices may provide cues to mobilize or calm infants. This study examined whether maternal prosody predicted changes in infants’ biobehavioral state after the still face, a stressor in which the mother withdraws and reinstates social engagement. Ninety‐four dyads participated in the study (infant age 4–8 months). Infants’ heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (measuring cardiac vagal tone) were derived from an electrocardiogram (EC…
Biobehavioral Correlates of Infants' Social Bidding During the Still‐Face Paradigm
Positive social bidding refers to moments when infants look at an unresponsive caregiver and try to re‐engage the social partner via smiling and/or vocalizing. Prior to six months of age, there is considerable variability in the extent to which infants engage in positive social bidding. In this study we explore whether infants' and mothers' cardiac vagal tone is associated with these individual differences. Mothers and their 4‐ to 6‐month‐old inf…
Psychology (20 works) · Developmental psychology (16 works) · Cognitive psychology (15 works) · Child and Animal Learning Development (12 works) · Computer Science (10 works) · Neuroscience (9 works) · Communication (7 works) · Artificial Intelligence (6 works) · Artificial Intelligence (6 works) · Hearing Impairment and Communication (6 works)