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Infant joint attention, temperament, and social competence in preschool children

Amy Vaughan Van Hecke1, Peter C Mundy, C Françoise Acra

  • 1University of Miami, USA. amyvanhecke@yahoo.com

Child Development
|March 3, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Early joint attention skills in infants predict later social competence and behavior. This study confirms the link in typically developing children, highlighting its importance for social-emotional development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Neuroscience
  • Childhood Development

Background:

  • Infant joint attention is linked to social-emotional outcomes in at-risk children.
  • The relationship in typically developing children requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine associations between infant joint attention and social outcomes in typically developing children.
  • To determine if early joint attention predicts later social competence and behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 52 typically developing children from 12 to 30 months.
  • Assessed joint attention (initiating and responding) at 12 months.
  • Measured social competence and externalizing behavior at 30 months, controlling for temperament, cognition, and language.

Main Results:

  • Twelve-month joint attention skills were significantly associated with 30-month social competence.
  • Twelve-month joint attention skills were significantly associated with 30-month externalizing behavior.
  • These associations remained significant after controlling for temperament, cognition, language, and demographics.

Conclusions:

  • Infant joint attention is a robust developmental indicator beyond language and cognition.
  • Early joint attention predicts individual differences in social and behavioral competence in childhood.
  • Findings support the role of joint attention in the development of social skills in all children.

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