Six-month-old infants' interaction difficulties are mirrored in their preference for perfect contingencies.

Abstract

During the first months of life, infants switch from a preference for perfect contingent feedback to a preference for less-than-perfect contingent feedback of their own movements. This is an indicator of increasing social interest since others provide less-than-perfect contingent feedback whereas the self provides perfect contingent feedback. We presented 117 6-month-olds with real-time and delayed video feedback of self-performed leg movements and asked parents about difficulties in various socioemotional domains. It was hypothesized that the more infants prefer real-time and therefore perfect contingent feedback over 7 s delayed and therefore perceived noncontingent feedback, the more difficulties parents will report in interaction and communication with their child. Preference for real-time feedback was related to difficulties in interaction, but not to difficulties in communication. Implications of this finding for infants' socioemotional development and health are discussed.