Detour behaviour in young human infants

The ability of infants, who have recently become mobile, to select an open path to a goal was studied in two experiments. In Expt 1 48 infants aged 10, 12 and 14 months were required to find their mother who was located behind either a transparent or an opaque barrier. Transparency of the barrier did not influence the efficiency of the detour paths. Infants aged 14 months followed a more efficient path than younger infants. Change in the barrier position disrupted detour behaviour in the two younger groups. A similar disruption was found in 10-month-old infants in Expt 2 after only one trial prior to relocation of the barrier. It was concluded that infants in their first year do not readily modify their locomotor response according to changed spatial relationships between the barrier and the goal. More flexible way finding develops early in the second year.