The study of gaze following in infants younger than 12 months of age has emphasized the effects of gesture, type of target, and its position or placement. This experiment extends this literature by examining the effects of adults' affective expression on 7-month-olds' gaze following. The effects of 3 affective expressions--happy, sad, and…

This paper provides three representative examples that highlight the ways in which procedures can be combined to study interactions across traditional domains of study: segmentation, word learning, and grammar. The first section uses visual familiarization prior to the Headturn Preference Procedure to demonstrate that synchronized visual…

Discussed are methodological aspects of three symposium papers on process approaches to individual differences in infancy. Fagan's (1987) research is viewed as an important contribution to the growing literature that demonstrates that process measures, that is, information processing behaviors, may provide a useful reflection of early to later…

Nine- and 16-month-old infants were presented a manual search problem in which a toy was hidden in one of two inaccessible containers, which were then moved into reach. Older infants performed better than younger infants, performance improved across trials, and more correct searches occurred when containers or trajectories were distinctive.…

Three studies examined infants' responses to tactile stimulation by adults who offered neutral facial expressions to the infants. Results implied that adult touch and facial expressions act as modulators of infant affect and attention in social exchanges. (BC)

Two studies examined messages conveyed in infant-directed lullabies and play songs. Findings indicated that adult raters differentiated audio recordings of mothers' lullaby- and play-song-styles with 100% accuracy and performed at above chance level in identifying which music 6-month olds were hearing on silent videotapes. Infants focused…

Three experiments examined infants' processing of three-dimensional (3D) information in static images. Results indicated that 3-month olds are sensitive to 3D cues in static images. However, discrepancies based on these cues may not engage infants' attention like those based on fundamental features. (Author)

Two experiments examined whether infants are sensitive to holistic combinations of line junctions in 2-D images that adults use to derive overall 3-D structure. Results suggested that 3-month-olds are sensitive to holistic combinations of line junctions that adults use to derive 3-D information but also selectively attend to these 3-D cues in…

An experiment was designed to demonstrate that infants as young as 3 months of age would show face/voice coordination in matched and mismatched conditions if exposure trials were extended to 1 minute in duration. A total of 16 infants participated in each of four experimental conditions. Conditions were (1) mother present with mother's voice…

Human neonates selectively fixated patterns with curved rather than straight contours when the outermost contours differed in this form variable and when quantitative variables were controlled. Data indicated the presence from birth of a discrimination ability basic to later form perception. (Author/ED)

This study is the third of three investigating attentional preference in infants. In the second study (PS 003 071), infants gave initial attentional preference to familiar patterns of visual stimuli, and later switched their preference to the unfamiliar, novel stimuli. The purpose of the present study was to duplicate these results with improved…

This document presents an analysis of the early attending responses and orienting reactions of infants which can be observed at birth and shortly thereafter. Focus is on one specific orienting reaction, the early direction and maintenance of one's eyes and head toward certain stimuli instead of others. The physical properties of stimuli that…

The purpose of the present study was to investigate more directly the effects of content and repetition of contingent visual feedback on a discrete operant pulling response and accompanying visual attention in 24 six- to seven-month old infants. Simultaneous recording was made of infant operant behavior and visual attention. Results indicated…

Using an objective measure of attention obtained during a baseline period, assesses in two studies the effects of attention on operant learning among 240 infants 14 weeks of age who were rewarded for kicking with a pattern of lights and tones. (RH)

Four facial stimuli derived from the Bolton standards of craniofacial development representing a human male at 6 months, 3, 8, and 18 years of age were used in a test of Lorenz's concept of babyishness and of the discrepancy hypothesis. Subjects were 87 four-month-old infants. (Author/MP)