Dynamic aspects of visual event perception and the production of pointing by human infants

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pointing production in infants and two types of event perception factors: spatial localization (e.g. eccentricity of visual events with respect to an initial fixation point) and salience of targets (addition to visual events of sound or object translation through space). Three experiments revealed that target characteristics, such as internal movement, sound, vanishing and translation through space (including disappearance) significantly influenced the incidence and latency of pointing, whereas the main effect of target localization was to determine which hand does the gesture. In particular, there was an advantage to the right side of the visual field in eliciting pointing when there is competition between targets. Finally, for events involving auditory-visual stimulation females made more right-handed points than males. The general advantage of the right hand for pointing may offer further evidence for a specific link between pointing, cerebral dominance and the transition to speech.