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

婴儿期社会注意力分享的出现：一个新理论的行为和计算测试（提案号：0527756）P.I：Gedeon Deak;合作研究者：Kang Lee和Jochen Triesch婴儿如何学会与他人互动？婴儿和父母一起玩耍看起来像是一个简单的互动，但实际上他们形成了一个复杂的社会系统。婴儿必须对照顾者做出迅速而适当的反应，但照顾者的行为是相当多变的。尽管如此，大多数婴儿还是学会了利用照顾者的行为来理解周围的环境。例如，到9个月大的婴儿使用看护者的目光转移（即，头部和/或眼睛的移动以环顾四周）来寻找附近有趣的景象。像这样的注意力分享技能对于整个童年时期学习语言和非语言技能至关重要。早期的注意力分享技能（如目光跟随）是如何发展的？这一发现将有助于揭示以注意力分享缺陷为特征的发育障碍，尤其是自闭症。它还将帮助我们了解人类社交技能和互动的独特之处。 通过对一组3到12个月大的婴儿的长期研究，以及对婴儿社会学习的创新计算机模拟，我们将测试注意力分享技能如何发展的理论。该理论认为，注意力分享技能来自几个因素：基于大脑的学习过程，基本的新兴感知程序和情绪反应，以及产生半可预测行为的照顾者的存在。通过跟踪9个月的婴儿，我们将跟踪他们的注意力分享技能是如何发展的。我们还将每月测试他们的学习和感知技能，看看这些技能与新的注意力分享技能的开始有什么关系。此外，每月在家中观察婴儿和父母玩耍的情况，将告诉我们看护者的自然行为如何帮助婴儿学习新的注意力分享技能。最后，我们将使用标准化测试婴儿的发展状况和照顾者的情绪健康。同时，计算机和机器人模拟将进一步测试该理论。在一个3D的“虚拟客厅”里，一个模拟的婴儿通过观看虚拟的父母处理和观看有趣的物体来获得社会输入。虚拟父母的行为基于在家庭游戏观察期间对真实的父母的行为的详细记录。虚拟婴儿使用特定的学习程序来搜索虚拟父母的行为模式，并根据理论的规定改变其反应。如果这个理论是正确的，我们应该看到虚拟婴儿像真实的婴儿一样学习注意力分享技能。此外，通过操纵虚拟婴儿的学习程序或照顾者的行为，我们可以模拟注意力分享技能的缺陷是如何发展的。该项目将回答有关认知和社会发展的问题在第一年。将详细的行为观察与最先进的计算机建模技术相结合，将为研究社会发展开辟新的途径。最终的结果可能会支持新的诊断工具，早期识别婴儿期的社会学习障碍。它还将测试一个关于人类婴儿如何发展强大的注意力分享技能的综合理论，支持儿童后期的物种特异性社会学习能力。

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.