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Updated: Sep 27, 2026
Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
Published on: May 15, 2019
Attention during looking and reaching as assessed by heart rate in 7(1/2)-month-old infants
Laura P O'Sullivan1, Neil E Berthier
1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Insights
Infants maintain attention during reaching actions, demonstrated by prolonged looking and significant heart rate deceleration. Overt action does not impede the autonomic and behavioral indicators of attention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Infant behavior
Background:
- Attention is crucial for learning and action.
- Heart rate deceleration and behavioral inhibition signal attentional engagement.
- The validity of these attention indices during overt actions in infants was previously unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between visual attention, motor action (reaching), and heart rate in 7.5-month-old infants.
- To determine if autonomic and behavioral indices of attention persist during active motor tasks.
Main Methods:
- Infants reaching for objects were observed.
- Visual attention was measured by looking duration.
- Heart rate was monitored for deceleration patterns.
Main Results:
- Infants exhibited prolonged looking times during reaching and visual attention tasks.
- Significant heart rate decelerations were recorded during these trials.
- These findings indicate sustained attention during the act of reaching.
Conclusions:
- Overt motor actions, such as reaching, do not preclude attentional engagement in infants.
- Autonomic and behavioral measures remain valid indicators of attention even during active behaviors.
- Attention is actively maintained throughout the process of reaching in early development.
Abstract:
Attention mediates the acquisition and encoding of information about the world and is central to motor action. Heart rate deceleration and behavioral inhibition are sensitive indices of the attentional process, but it is unknown whether these indices are valid in the context of overt action. The current study investigated the relationship between visual attention, action, and heart rate during reaching in 7(1/2)-month-old infants. We found that infants showed prolonged looking and large heart rate decelerations on reaching and looking trials. We conclude that overt action itself does not prevent the autonomic and behavioral changes that are also seen in attention to simple visual displays and that attention is maintained throughout the act of reaching.
