Gaze-contingent learning of infants

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Monika Knopf; Professor Dr. Jochen Triesch
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2014 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 256369654

In the present research project the newly developed gaze-contingent learning paradigm for infants (GCP; Wang, Bolhuis, Rothkopf, Kolling, Knopf, & Triesch, 2012) will be further evaluated and analyzed. In the GCP infants learn to trigger a new stimulus by looking at a visual switch (red dot). The central aims of the project are to replicate the self-initiated fast gaze-effect-anticipation of infants found in our recent experiments (active control) and to compare these findings to a group of infants who receive an identical visual stimulus without visual action-effect coupling (yoked control condition = passive condition). Infants gaze contigent learning in these conditions will be assessed via learning parameters (e.g., speed of learning, anticipation), the task-accompanying emotions and neural network modeling. Additionally, vary different acquisition conditions will be varied. First, two latency times (short vs. long) between triggering the visual switch and the presentation of a new stimulus will be used. Second, after the first acquisition period, a change in activity condition (from passive to active and vice versa) will be implemented after a 15 minute break in a second acquisition period. A different sample of infants receives the same activity condition throughout both first and second acquisition period (active-active vs. passive-passive condition). These variations test both effects of latency interval and the influence of memory in a medium-term retention interval. We apply these conditions in a sample of six, eight and ten month old infants extending the age range of the recent Wang et al. (2012) study and additionally test a sample of younger babies (3-4 month old infants). Last but not least, in line with the GCP we use additional experimental paradigms (information speed via habituation; visual expectancy learning) and psychometric assessments (e.g., intelligence and temperament) to understand inter-individual differences in infants gaze-contingent learning during development.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants