Spoon handling in two- to four-year-old children

A method for the study of tool use is presented from the perspective of an ecological approach to perception and action. It is argued that the essence of tool use lies in the maintenance of a specific relation between the organism + tool complex and the environment. Control over the tool is subordinate to this aim. It is proposed that perturbations of the tool-environment relation reveal the essential dimensions of organism + tool complex. A simple experiment is reported in which children (n = 43) from 2 to 4 years of age were asked to use (1 of 6) spoons to transport rice from 1 bucket to another. Perturbation of the tool-environment relation was introduced by manipulating the geometrical configuration of the spoons. The results indicated that all children indeed controlled the relation between tool and environment. They varied their grip such that the functional act of scooping was preserved. Hence, they perceived the new spoons in terms of its functional properties, its affordances. In addition, it was found that the relative occurrence of successful and unsuccessful transport attempts was contingent upon the configuration of the spoon. The control problems posed by one spoon in particular were such that, when using this implement, five children failed to transport any rice. A highly rigid handling mode was evident during many of the transport attempts undertaken using this spoon. The results further exemplified that failures in tool use, following perturbations of the tool-environment relation, are concommitant with the adoption of rigid handling modes and the selection of maladaptive grip configurations.