Multimodal control of reaching - Simulating the role of tactile feedback

By the onset of reaching, young infants are already: able to keep track of the position of their hand by using visual feedback from the target and pro prioceptive feedback from the arm, How is this multimodal coordination achi eved? We propose that infants learn to coordinate vision and proprioception by using tactile feedback from the target. In order to evaluate this hypot hesis? we employ an evolutionary-based learning algorithm as a proxy for tr ial-and-error sensorimotor development in young infants. A series of simula tion studies illustrate how touch: I) helps coordinate vision and proprioce ption; 2) facilitates an efficient reaching strategy; and 3) promotes inter modal recalibration when the coordination is perturbed. We present two deve lopmental predictions generated by the model and discuss the relative impor tance of visual and tactile feedback while learning to reach.