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Updated: Feb 6, 2026
08:20
A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG
Published on: May 3, 2017
8.3K
Prior social feedback creates residual differences in infant attention
Gina Marie Mason1,2, Michael H Goldstein3
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI02912, USA.
Summary
Early social feedback shapes infant attention. Infants rarely responded to by experimenters showed higher vigilance, impacting their later focus on salient stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Infant cognition
- Social interaction
Background:
- Individual differences in infant attention predict cognitive development.
- Traditionally, attention differences were attributed to non-social mechanisms.
- Infant altriciality suggests social feedback may influence attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the impact of social feedback on infant attention.
- To test how different social response schedules affect infant vigilance.
- To understand the causal link between early social interaction and attention.
Main Methods:
- Eighty 6-7-month-old infants participated in the study.
- Experimenters used four response schedules varying in contingency and joint focus.
- Infant attention was assessed using a subsequent behavioral vigilance task.
Main Results:
- Experimenter contingency significantly predicted infant attention.
- Infants rarely responded to showed higher vigilance (more scanning, faster responses).
- Highly vigilant infants exhibited rigid attention to salient stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Contingent social feedback causally organizes infant attention in new settings.
- Early social experiences provide mechanisms for adaptive outcomes.
- Findings suggest potential for interventions to support infant attention development.
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