Re: How does this robot know it has arms?

Chad Johnson wrote:
Along the same lines, how does a baby figure out it has arms and legs?

According to my observations (three children), they do it by observation.

When very young, a child is apt to flail sometimes when excited, and when
hit in the face by one of its own arms, to look startled and perhaps cry,
in a normal and otherwise-observed startle reflex. I've seen this at least
twice quite clearly. They have no idea the arm belongs to them.

Later, there is a definite observable time when they start to watch their
hand while concentrating on opening and closing it - they've just realized
they have control of the thing. They practice this control by watching it,
i.e. hand-eye coordination begins.

As far as standing and walking, my oldest was quite unusual - he free-stood
off the floor (before ever climbing up on furniture to any degree) at 5 1/2
months. Within a few days, he was clearly trying to work out how to get one
leg off the ground to move it without falling down - a step. IOW he wanted
to walk, and knew what he needed to do to achieve it. The first step took
however 2 1/2 months - his feet were just too far apart and his legs didn't
have the muscles until he was 8 months old. Within 4 weeks, he was running!
We spent most of the next decade running after him :-). Anyhow, this was just
to point out that walking was clearly an intellectual achievement before it
was a physical one, and I'm guessing that standing was the same.

Clifford Heath.
.

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