It has been shown that preverbal infants use their bodies to communicate and interact with their environment (kicking, reaching, gesturing, pointing, vocalising). Studies also show that infants synchronize their body movements both with their own vocal productions and with external auditory and visual stimuli such as speech or music. These types of auditory-motor coordination have been observed in the first year of life. Intra and intermodal coordination between sound and movement are likely to play an important role both for preverbal communication and for the development of socio-cognitive skills such as language, known to emerge in association with gesture and to involve sensorimotor matching. Indeed, for a growing number of scientists, cognitive development cannot be understood without studying its embodiment. Thus, a sensorimotor approach to cognitive development appears more and more as a necessity. The aim of this research topic is to generate interest in an understudied area in infant development by creating new synergies between high level researchers working in this field.
It has been shown that preverbal infants use their bodies to communicate and interact with their environment (kicking, reaching, gesturing, pointing, vocalising). Studies also show that infants synchronize their body movements both with their own vocal productions and with external auditory and visual stimuli such as speech or music. These types of auditory-motor coordination have been observed in the first year of life. Intra and intermodal coordination between sound and movement are likely to play an important role both for preverbal communication and for the development of socio-cognitive skills such as language, known to emerge in association with gesture and to involve sensorimotor matching. Indeed, for a growing number of scientists, cognitive development cannot be understood without studying its embodiment. Thus, a sensorimotor approach to cognitive development appears more and more as a necessity. The aim of this research topic is to generate interest in an understudied area in infant development by creating new synergies between high level researchers working in this field.
