Infants' understanding of everyday social interactions: a dual process account.
Six- and 12-month-old infant's eye movements were recorded as they observed feeding actions being performed in a rational or non-rational manner. Twelve-month-olds fixated the goal of these actions before the food arrived (anticipation); the latency of these gaze shifts being dependent (r=.69) on infants life experience being feed. In addition, 6- and 12-month-olds dilated their pupil during observation of non-rational feeding actions. This effect could not be attributed to light differences or differences in familiarity, but was interpreted to reflect sympathetic-like activity and arousal caused by a violation of infant's expectations about rationality. We argue that evaluation of rationality requires less experience than anticipations of action goals, suggesting a dual process account of preverbal infants' everyday action understanding.
The Cognitive Developmental Research Unit (EKUP), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway. gustaf.gredeback@psykologi.uio.no
Gustaf
G
Gredebäck
Annika
A
Melinder
D000328:Adult; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011680:Pupil / Q000502:physiology; D012938:Social Perception