Modeling Infant Free Play Using Hidden Markov Models
- PMID: 35403175
- PMCID: PMC8988848
- DOI: 10.1109/icdl49984.2021.9515677
Modeling Infant Free Play Using Hidden Markov Models
Abstract
Infants' free-play behavior is highly variable. However, in developmental science, traditional analysis tools for modeling and understanding variable behavior are limited. Here, we used Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to capture behavioral states that govern infants' toy selection during 20 minutes of free play in a new environment. We demonstrate that applying HMMs to infant data can identify hidden behavioral states and thereby reveal the underlying structure of infant toy selection and how toy selection changes in real time during spontaneous free play. More broadly, we propose that hidden-state models provide a fruitful avenue for understanding individual differences in spontaneous infant behavior.
Keywords: Behavior Modeling; Developmental Science.
Figures






References
-
- Adolph KE, Cole WG and Vereijken B, “Intraindividual variability in the development of motor skills in childhood,” in Handbook of intraindividual variability across the life span, New York, Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2015, pp. 59–83.
-
- Bunian S, Canossa A, Colvin R and Magy Seif E-N, “Modeling individual differences in game behavior using HMM,” in Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment, 2017.
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources