Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG
08:20

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG

Published on: May 3, 2017

Patterns of sustained attention in infancy shape the developmental trajectory of social behavior from toddlerhood

Koraly Pérez-Edgar1, Jennifer N Martin McDermott, Katherine Korelitz

  • 1Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. kperezed@gmu.edu

Developmental Psychology
|September 30, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Infants with low sustained attention showed more behavioral inhibition. Early attention skills influence childhood behavioral inhibition and adolescent social behavior, impacting social discomfort.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Social Neuroscience

Background:

  • Individual differences in early attention and temperament are crucial for social development.
  • Understanding the developmental trajectories of behavioral inhibition and social behavior is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between infant sustained attention, childhood behavioral inhibition, and adolescent social behavior.
  • To investigate if infant sustained attention moderates the link between behavioral inhibition and social difficulties.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed sustained attention in 9-month-old infants using an interrupted-stimulus paradigm.
  • Measured behavioral inhibition from infancy through childhood (14 months to 7 years).
  • Evaluated adolescent social behavior and discomfort in social scenarios at 14 years.

Main Results:

  • Infants with lower sustained attention exhibited increased behavioral inhibition throughout childhood.
  • Childhood behavioral inhibition predicted adolescent social difficulties only for those with low infant sustained attention.
  • Infant sustained attention moderated the association between behavioral inhibition and adolescent social discomfort.

Conclusions:

  • Early sustained attention plays a critical role in shaping behavioral inhibition and social development.
  • Attention may act as a gatekeeper, influencing how children process social information and respond to their environment.
  • These findings highlight the long-term impact of early attentional differences on social adjustment.

More Related Videos

Gaze in Action: Head-mounted Eye Tracking of Children's Dynamic Visual Attention During Naturalistic Behavior07:09

Gaze in Action: Head-mounted Eye Tracking of Children's Dynamic Visual Attention During Naturalistic Behavior

Published on: November 14, 2018

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos05:32

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

Published on: December 7, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...
Social Foundations of Self I: Play and Game01:24

Social Foundations of Self I: Play and Game

The development of self in children is deeply rooted in social interactions, mainly through stages of play and structured games. These stages, outlined by sociologist George Herbert Mead, illustrate how children progressively learn to understand and adopt social roles, forming a cohesive sense of self.The Play Stage: Imitation and Simple Role-TakingIn the early years of childhood, the play stage is characterized by imitative behavior, where children engage in role-playing based on familiar...
Autism Spectrum Disorder01:19

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.