A special thanks to Prof. Sarah Beck and Dr Rory Devine for agreeing to share their research in our first event, to the Centre for Developmental Science and thechbh.bsky.social for support, and to the amazing colleagues and students who are making this possible!

Having found an effect as early as 4 months, we are now looking at the impact of very early postnatal experience on the development of this ability, by investigating newborn responses in a similar task. Will present the preliminary results next month at #BCCCD24. n/n

While alternative explanations might be possible, these findings could indicate the existence of a developmental precursor of the ability to make predictions about tactile contact based on prior visual events that characterises peripersonal space in adults. 6/n

We show for the 1st time that infants from 4 months are sensitive to the relations between visual and tactile stimuli presented separately in time and space. This is an important prerequisite for infants to perceive the multisensory relation between body and space. 5/n

At 8 months, we see a switch in the direction of the response, with the younger 8-month-olds showing an enhanced response to predictable touches, and older 8-month-olds to unpredictable touches. 4/n

We recorded the babies’ EEG and measured their SEPs in response to the touches (visual aspects of the response were removed via a difference wave calculation). At 4 months of age we found a sustained larger response for touch following approaching visual motion, i.e. predictable touch. 3/n

We presented babies aged 4 and 8 months with short videos of balls moving towards or away from them. We made sure they were not visually tracking the moving objects, but focusing on an animal character on the screen. The motion was followed – after a gap - by short vibrations on the hands. 2/n