title: Early Social Experience Affects the Development of Eye Gaze Processing.
abstract: Eye gaze is a key channel of non-verbal communication in humans. Eye contact with others is present from birth, and eye gaze processing is crucial for social learning and adult-infant communication. However, little is known about the effect of selectively different experience of eye contact and gaze communication on early social and communicative development. To directly address this question, we assessed 14 sighted infants of blind parents (SIBPs) longitudinally at 6-10 and 12-16 months. Face scanning and gaze following were assessed using eye tracking. In addition, naturalistic observations were made when the infants were interacting with their blind parent and with an unfamiliar sighted adult. Established measures of emergent autistic-like behaviors and standardized tests of cognitive, motor, and linguistic development were also collected. These data were then compared with those obtained from a group of infants of sighted parents. Despite showing typical social skills development overall, infants of blind parents allocated less attention to adult eye movements and gaze direction, an effect that increased between 6-10 and 12-16 months of age. The results suggest that infants adjust their use of adults' eye gaze depending on gaze communication experience from early in life. The results highlight that human functional brain development shows selective experience-dependent plasticity adaptive to the individual's specific social environment.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK. Electronic address: a.senju@bbk.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Senju
authors.affiliation: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Angélina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vernetti
authors.affiliation: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ganea
authors.affiliation: Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
authors.forename: Kristelle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hudry
authors.affiliation: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, P.O. Box 077, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Charman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002657:Child Development; D003142:Communication; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012931:Social Environment; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities