DHB: The Emergence of Social Attention-Sharing in Infancy: Behavioral and Computational Tests of a New Theory

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The Emergence of Social Attention-Sharing in Infancy: Behavioral and Computational Tests of a New Theory (Proposal No: 0527756)P.I: Gedeon Deak; Co-investigators: Kang Lee and Jochen TrieschHow do infants learn to interact with other people? An infant and parent playing together might seem like a simple interaction, but they actually form a complex social system. Infants must respond quickly and appropriately to caregivers, but the caregivers' behavior is quite variable. Nonetheless, most infants learn to use caregivers' behaviors to make sense of their surroundings. For example, by 9 months of age infants use caregivers' gaze shifts (that is, movements of the head and/or eyes to look around) to find nearby interesting sights. Attention sharing skills like this are crucial for learning language and non-verbal skills throughout childhood. How do early attention-sharing skills like gaze-following develop? Answering this will shed light on developmental disorders characterized by attention-sharing deficit, most notably autism. It also will help us understand what is distinctive about human social skills and interactions. Through a long-term study of a group of infants from 3 to 12 months, and innovative computer simulations of infants' social learning, we will test a theory of how attention-sharing skills develop. The theory proposes that attention-sharing skills emerge from several factors: brain-based learning processes, basic emerging perceptual routines and emotional responses, and the presence of caregivers who produce semi-predictable behaviors. By following infants for 9 months we will track how their attention-sharing skills develop. We will also test their learning and perceptual skills month-by-month, to see how these relate to the onset of new attention-sharing skills. In addition, monthly in-home observation of infants and parents at play will tell us how caregivers' natural behaviors help infants learn new attention-sharing skills. Finally, we will use standardized tests of infants' developmental status and caregivers' emotional well-being. Simultaneously, computer and robotic simulations will further test the theory. In a 3D 'virtual living room,' a simulated infant gets social input by watching a virtual parent handle and look at interesting objects. The virtual parent's actions are based on detailed recordings of the real parents' behaviors during the in-home play observations. The virtual infant uses specific learning routines to search for patterns in the virtual parent's behaviors, and alters its responses as specified by the theory. If the theory is correct, we should see the virtual infant learn attention-sharing skills like real infants. Further, by manipulating virtual infants' learning routines, or caregivers' behaviors, we can model how deficits in attention-sharing skills develop. This project will answer questions about cognitive and social development during the first year. Merging detailed behavioral observations with state-of-the-art computer modeling techniques will open new avenues for studying social development. Ultimately the results will probably support new diagnostic tools for early identification of social learning disabilities in infancy. It will also test a comprehensive theory of how human infants develop robust attention-sharing skills, supporting species-specific social learning abilities later in childhood.