Parental neural responsivity to infants' visual attention: How mature brains influence immature brains during social interaction

PLoS Biol. 2018 Dec 13;16(12):e2006328. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006328. eCollection 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Almost all attention and learning-in particular, most early learning-take place in social settings. But little is known of how our brains support dynamic social interactions. We recorded dual electroencephalography (EEG) from 12-month-old infants and parents during solo play and joint play. During solo play, fluctuations in infants' theta power significantly forward-predicted their subsequent attentional behaviours. However, this forward-predictiveness was lower during joint play than solo play, suggesting that infants' endogenous neural control over attention is greater during solo play. Overall, however, infants were more attentive to the objects during joint play. To understand why, we examined how adult brain activity related to infant attention. We found that parents' theta power closely tracked and responded to changes in their infants' attention. Further, instances in which parents showed greater neural responsivity were associated with longer sustained attention by infants. Our results offer new insights into how one partner influences another during social interaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain / growth & development*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Comprehension
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Family
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Learning / physiology*
  • Male
  • Mothers
  • Parents

Grants and funding

Economic and Social Research Council (grant number ES/N017560/1). to VL and SW. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Economic and Social Research Council (grant number ES/N006461/1). to SW. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Nanyang Technological University (grant number Grant M4081585.SS0). to VL. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.