ABSTRACT
The abilities to see, hear, touch, and move don’t just appear. They develop. And this development involves more than just the typical combination of genetic inheritance and environmental experiences. Rather, it occurs within a multidirectional and multilayered developmental system. It is in this context that animals of all species (but in particular, human infants and toddlers) develop the ability to perceive and act on (continually changing) affordances for reaching, crawling, stepping, and walking, among many other behaviors. This chapter focuses on the development of these abilities and, in particular, on how what is learned allows for flexible and continual relearning during the sometimes dramatic changes in strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance over the course of development.
