Finding events in a continuous world: A developmental account

Abstract

Event segmentation is a fundamental process of human cognition that organizes the continuous flux of activity into discrete, hierarchical units. The mechanism of event segmentation in infants seems to parallel the mechanism studied in adults, which centers on action predictability. Statistical learning appears to bootstrap infants' event segmentation by generating action predictions without relying on prior knowledge. Infants' first-hand experiences with goal-directed actions further enhance their prediction of others' actions. Scaffolds for event segmentation are available in the input, with caregivers providing redundant cues to event boundaries through the use of motionese and acoustic packaging. Research points to the importance of developing event segmentation skills for development in other areas of cognition, including memory, social competence, and language, though more work is needed to capture the directionality of effects. Although event segmentation is a relatively new area of focus in cognition, this process illuminates how children make sense of an ever-changing world.

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