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Published on: January 23, 2017
Measurement of vigilance in 2-year-old children
Davida Zelinsky Goldman1, Elsa G Shapiro, Charles A Nelson
1Division of Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Mayo Mail Code 486, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. zelin002@tc.umn.edu
Insights
This study found vigilance is a distinct part of sustained attention in toddlers. Vigilance specifically links to right frontal brain activity, unlike other attention measures.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Development
Background:
- Sustained attention is crucial for cognitive development in early childhood.
- Understanding the neurophysiological underpinnings of attention in toddlers is essential.
- Previous research has not clearly distinguished vigilance from other forms of sustained attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore behavioral aspects of sustained attention in 2-year-olds.
- To investigate the neurophysiological correlates of sustained attention in this age group.
- To differentiate vigilance as a component of sustained attention.
Main Methods:
- 51 children aged 2 years were assessed using the Early Childhood Vigilance Task (ECVT) and other behavioral attention measures.
- A subset of 14 children underwent an event-related potential (ERP) paradigm.
- ERP data were analyzed to identify neurophysiological patterns linked to sustained attention.
Main Results:
- Vigilance, as measured by ECVT, is conceptually distinct from active engagement attention.
- Vigilance performance showed a specific association with right frontal brain activity (ERP).
- Traditional behavioral measures of sustained attention did not correlate with this right frontal ERP activity.
Conclusions:
- Vigilance represents a unique facet of sustained attention in young children.
- Right frontal brain activity is a neurophysiological correlate specifically associated with vigilance.
- Findings highlight the importance of distinguishing different components of attention for accurate assessment in early childhood.
Abstract:
This study explored the behavioral manifestations of sustained attention in 2-year-old children and the relation between sustained attention and its neurophysiological correlates. 51 children were administered a task of vigilance (the Early Childhood Vigilance Task; ECVT), along with behavioral measures of sustained attention that are routinely used as measures of attention in this age-group. A subset of these children, n = 14, was also evaluated in an event-related potential (ERP) paradigm to identify patterns of neurophysiological activation that might be associated with sustained attention. The results supported the conceptualization of vigilance as a component of sustained attention that is related to, but distinct from, attention toward objects or activities with which one is actively engaged. Results also provided support for a specific association between vigilance and right frontal brain activity. Whereas ECVT performance was associated with ERP activation in the right frontal area, performance on more traditional behavioral measures of sustained attention was not.
