Infant Sensitivity to Perturbations in Adult Facial, Vocal, Tactile, and Contingent Stimulation During Face-to-Face Interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACf. Results from studies using the Still-Face procedure showed that 3-6-month-olds respond to dynamic faces in face-to-face interactions, but not to changes in adult voice, touch or contingency in both live and televised interactions. Infant visual attention distinguished between normal and still-face periods, while smiling distinguished people from objects, and upright from inverted faces. Results from other paradigms showed that the adult voice and touch can affect infant responding and infants are sensitive to contingency. A complete description of infant's perceptual capacities requires the use of multiple response measures and consideration of the experimental demands.