This project is a preliminary study that will lay the groundwork for a larger research program concerning the role of self-produced locomotion on spatial, cognitive, and emotional development in infancy. The research program will require a `mobility device` (MD) that assists infants in ambulating before they are maturationally able to crawl. The preliminary study will explore possible designs for the MD and assess the level of proficiency infants can attain with such a device. The major objectives are (1) to quantify the locomotor proficiency in the MD and in subsequent crawling of infants trained in self-produced locomotion; (2) to compare infants' performance on devices that do and do not require limb movements for propulsion; and (3) to obtain preliminary data on the relation between locomotor proficiency and type of locomotion on the one hand, and spatial, cognitive, and emotional changes on the other. The results of the study, and especially the subsequent research program, should add to our understanding of the important role played by self-generated movement in development of infants' ability to perceive and interact with their environments.
