title: Developmental changes in infant brain activity during naturalistic social experiences.
abstract: Between 6 and 12 months, typically developing infants undergo a socio-cognitive "revolution." The Interactive Specialization (IS) theory of brain development predicts that these behavioral changes will be underpinned by developmental increases in the power and topographic extent of socially selective cortical responses. To test this hypothesis, we used EEG to examine developmental changes in cortical selectivity for ecologically valid dynamic social versus non-social stimuli in a large cohort of 6- and 12-month-old infants. Consistent with the Interactive Specialization model, results showed that differences in EEG Θ activity between social and non-social stimuli became more pronounced and widespread with age. Differences in EEG activity were most clearly elicited by a live naturalistic interaction, suggesting that measuring brain activity in ecologically valid contexts is central to mapping social brain development in infancy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain & Cognitive Development School of Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom, WC1E 7HX. e.jones@bbk.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Emily J H
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA.
authors.forename: Kaitlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Venema
authors.affiliation: Center on Human Development and Disabilities, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lowy
authors.affiliation: Center on Human Development and Disabilities, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Rachel K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Earl
authors.affiliation: Center on Human Development and Disabilities, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Sara Jane
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Webb
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012938:Social Perception; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: EEG; infant; interactive specialization; social brain; video deficit effect; Θ power; α power