Learning From Falling

• Published in: Child development Vol. 77; no. 1; pp. 89 - 102
• Main Authors: Joh, Amy S., Adolph, Karen E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01-01-2006; Blackwell Publishers; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Accident Prevention; Accidental Falls; Adult; Affect; Age Differences; Age Factors; Age groups; Attention; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Children; Comparative analysis; Concept Formation; Cues; Developmental psychology; Empirical research; Experiential Learning; Experimentation; Exploration; Falls; Family studies; Female; Foams; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Infancy; Infant; Infants; Learning; Learning rate; Locomotion; Male; Memory, Short-Term; Motor ability; Motor Development; Newborn. Infant; Physical Activities; Postural Balance; Problem Solving; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance; Psychomotor Skills; Psychophysics; Reaction Time; Retention (Psychology); Sight; Statistical analysis; Toddlers; Visual Stimuli; Walking; Walkways; Young Children; Human; Preschool age; Motor development; Infant; Cognition; Motor learning; Learning; Locomotion; Walking; Acquisition process; Strategy; Fall; Motricity; Child
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00858.x

Walkers fall frequently, especially during infancy. Children (15-, 21-, 27-, 33-, and 39-month-olds) and adults were tested in a novel foam pit paradigm to examine age-related changes in the relationship between falling and prospective control of locomotion. In trial 1, participants walked and fell into a deformable foam pit marked with distinct visual cues. Although children in all 5 age groups required multiple trials to learn to avoid falling, the number of children who showed adult-like, 1-trial learning increased with age. Exploration and alternative locomotor strategies increased dramatically on learning criterion trials and displays of negative affect were limited. Learning from falling is discussed in terms of the immediate and long-term effects of falling on prospective control of locomotion.