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Updated: Aug 27, 2026

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG
Published on: May 3, 2017
Developmental Transactions Between Infant Gaze and Maternal Responsiveness and Measures of Social-Emotional
Cristin M Holland1, John Sideris2, Barbara L Thompson3
1Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Background:
Infants and their caregivers reciprocally influence each other through transactions within everyday activities, facilitating further child development.
Objectives:
This study assessed a transactional pathway between infant gaze capacities and maternal responsiveness across development and associations with child joint engagement at 24 months and social-emotional competence at 36 to 42 months of age.
Methodology:
Videos of mother-child play at 2, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months were used to behaviorally code infant gaze, maternal responsiveness, and child joint engagement. Mothers completed a parent-report measure of social-emotional competence about their child at 36 to 42 months. Structural equation modeling tested the developed transactional model.
Results:
The proposed transactional pathway between infant person-gaze capacities and maternal responsivity across 2 to 18 months mediated joint engagement, while joint engagement was associated with social-emotional competence.
Conclusion:
Transactions occurring within play occupations between infants and caregivers across early development are critical for development of social-emotional competencies.
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