ABSTRACT: Sixty-five mother-infant dyads (infants at ages 6 and
8 mo) participated in a longitudinal study of interactional
and attentional relationships. Interaction was coded as attention
following (AF), attention switching (AS), or joint attention. A
laboratory-based assessment of infant fixation duration was used.
AF and AS were unrelated at 6 mo but inversely related at
8 mo. Surprisingly, AF and AS were unrelated to joint attention.
All variables were stable, and, except for a few correlations
at 6 mo, fixation duration was unrelated to interaction variables.
These findings suggest that joint attention does not typically
occur with infants younger than 9 mo, but mothers may begin a
pattern of interaction, AF or AS, with the young infant before
joint attention emerges. ((c) 1997 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved)
DESCRIPTORS:
(*=Major)
Attention * | Mother Child Relations * | (Adulthood) (Childhood) (Mothers)
(Eye Fixation) (Followup
Studies) (Infants)
KEY PHRASE:
eye fixation duration & attention following & attention switching
& joint attention, mothers & their 6 mo
olds, 2 mo followup
CLASS. CODE:
Psychosocial & Personality Development (2840)
AGE GROUP:
Childhood (birth-12 yrs) | Infancy (1-23 mo) | Adulthood (18 yrs &
older)
POPULATION:
Human | Male | Female
UPDATE:
19970101