Tool Use and Action

Children learn to use objects as tools by trying things out and noting what leads to success. They push, scrape, lever, and tap, and observe which object and surface combinations yield useful results. These are affordances for tool use. With practice they couple perception with movement, tune force and timing, and organize short action sequences that accomplish a task. Everyday successes and errors both contribute. Gradually, tool use becomes smoother and more reliable.

Relevant Publication

New insights into the development of human tool use.
Lockman, J. J., & Kahrs, B. A. (2017).
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(4), 330–334. [DOI]