Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany.
Infant Behav Dev. 2012 Jun;35(3):533-42. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.03.003. Epub 2012 Jun 19.
Previous research reports mixed results concerning infants' differential interest for a specific age group. Most of these findings are based on studies using static photographs and drawings as stimuli. Moreover, only behavioral data were used to investigate infants' attentional preferences. In the present study, we showed video sequences of differently aged models (peers, 3.5-year-olds, and adults) manipulating an object, and measured heart rate as an objective psychophysiological measurement of infants' attention, in addition to looking time and banging rate. The results showed that 12-month-olds preferred watching older children's object-related actions compared to those of peers and adults, but 6- and 9-month-olds did not. In subsequent control experiments, alternative explanations that this preference relied merely on the visual appearance or a higher activity level of older children were excluded. We explain this observed developmental shift by the increasing importance of social learning and object use at this age. Thus, 12-month-olds prefer watching more knowledgeable individuals who provide an action repertoire that infants of this age are about to develop.
先前的研究报告对于婴儿对特定年龄组的不同兴趣存在混合结果。这些发现大多基于使用静态照片和图画作为刺激的研究。此外，仅使用行为数据来研究婴儿的注意力偏好。在本研究中，我们展示了不同年龄模特（同伴、3.5 岁儿童和成年人）操作物体的视频序列，并测量了心率，作为婴儿注意力的客观心理生理学测量，除了注视时间和敲击率。结果表明，12 个月大的婴儿更喜欢观看年长儿童与物体相关的动作，而不是同伴和成年人的动作，但 6 个月大和 9 个月大的婴儿则没有。在随后的对照实验中，排除了这种偏好仅仅依赖于年长儿童的视觉外观或更高活动水平的其他解释。我们通过在这个年龄段社会学习和物体使用的重要性不断增加来解释这种观察到的发展转变。因此，12 个月大的婴儿更喜欢观看更有知识的人，这些人提供了婴儿即将发展的动作范围。
