In this video clip you see Roan and Pam playing with a soft soccer-sized ball. The basic game is that I pass/roll/throw the ball to Roan and she throws it mostly back to me.
Learning to catch a ball
At the begriming of the clip there is a long sequence where I carefully throw the ball to Roan. She initially does not manage to catch the ball, but with practice she starts to anticipate its approach, gets her hands in position for catching it and then manages to catch it and throw it back to me.
This is a wonderful example of how rapidly and on the fly infants learn from experience, and adapt their actions to achieve their goals
Visual attention and following
Ball games and social interaction require effective attention to important aspects of the social and physical environment. You see Roan following the direction of the ball when she throws or rolls it away. She also watches me as I retrieve the ball. This is important as it allows her to anticipate what happens next.
She carefully watches the ball as it moves towards her and uses this information to predict exactly when and where her hands need to be in order to successfully intercept, catch or bat the ball away.
Joint attention and communication
The clip illustrates the rich communication and ongoing interaction between Roan and myself, with numerous instances of joint attention and non-verbal request making.
At times the ball rolls away to the side and out of Roan's reach. She watches the ball roll away, and watches to see if I will retrieve it. If I do not retrieve it she uses visual and finger pointing to request that I fetch it for her.
Video clip
