Sensitivity to triadic attention in early infancy

Abstract

In Study 1, 54 3-, 6- and 9-month-old infants interacted with an adult stranger who engaged in a face-to-face (dyadic) exchange. Dyadic interaction was halted when the adult turned away to look at an object. In a Joint Attention condition, the adult alternated visual attention between the infant and the object, and in a Look Away condition she looked away at the object only. Infants gazed and smiled more in the Joint Attention condition compared to in the Look Away condition. Infants’ gazing to the target object interacted with age and condition. In Study 2, 37 3-, 6- and 9-month old infants interacted with an adult who coordinated visual attention and affect, affect only, visual attention only, or ignored the infant. Infants gazed reliably more at E when she coordinated both affect and attention and smiled reliably more when the adult coordinated affect and attention or attention only. The findings show a sensitivity to triadic attention by 3 months of age.