Abstract
Although the pattern of visual attention towards the region of the eyes is now well-established for
infants at an early stage of development, less is known about the extent to which the mouth
attracts an infant’s attention. Even less is known about the extent to which these specific looking
behaviours towards different regions of the talking face (i.e., the eyes or the mouth) may impact
on or account for aspects of language development. The aim of the present systematic review is to
synthesize and analyse (i) which factors might determine different looking patterns in infants
during audio-visual tasks using dynamic faces and (ii) how these patterns have been studied in
relation to aspects of the baby’s development. Four bibliographic databases were explored, and
the records were selected following specified inclusion criteria. The search led to the identification of 19 papers (October 2021). Some studies have tried to clarify the role played by audiovisual support in speech perception and early production based on directly related factors such
as the age or language background of the participants, while others have tested the child’s
competence in terms of linguistic or social skills. Several hypotheses have been advanced to
explain the selective attention phenomenon. The results of the selected studies have led to
different lines of interpretation. Some suggestions for future research are outlined.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101709 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Infant Behavior and Development |
| Volume | 67 |
| Early online date | 23 Mar 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.Keywords
- SELECTIVE ATTENTION
- Language development
- Audio-visual perception
- infants