Abstract
Background & aimInfant directed speech (IDS) is a simplified form of language known to capture infant visual attention. IDS is an early form of communication to which infants are particularly sensitive beginning at birth and play an essential part in the acquisition of language and in the development of social cognition. The present research aims at determining whether an infant as young as 4.5months explores different face zones of a person talking to her when the form of speech employed is either IDS or adult directed speech (ADS). We wish to bring more insight in the relation between the way an adult talks to an infant and the infant's visual attention, such a relation being a central tenet to understanding early interactions. MethodsEighteen 4.5month-old infants were presented videos of a woman talking either IDS or ADS, each video played with and without soundtrack. The total time focused respectively on eye areas and mouth area was collected with an eye-tracking system (Tobii 2150). Results and conclusionResults showed evidence of more visual exploration when the soundtrack was played as opposed to silence while exploration focused more on the eye area. Moreover, interaction effects were observed involving a gender effect. These results raise the question of the importance of infant's gaze and attention directed to the face, and specifically to the eyes of the partner. Indeed, eyes of a talking face seem of great importance at 4.5months of age, i.e., long before an infant is known to be able to interpret a referential gaze. Our results also add to the gender effect differences found in early interactions between infant and social partners. A better understanding of what infant attention focuses on in a communication-oriented situation, including infant gender impact, would not only help to detect early parent-infant communication distortions but add to a more adapted and efficient clinical follow-up.
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