Still connecting the dots: An investigation into infants' attentional bias to threat using an eye ‐tracking task

This study was the first to use a consistent measure of negative affect across the whole sample. An eye-tracking dot-probe task was used to examine attentional bias toward threat (i.e., angry faces) relative to positive (i.e., happy faces) stimuli. Results showed that an attention bias to threat was not characteristic of infants at this age, and negative affect did not moderate the putative relationship between attention and emotional faces (angry, happy). These findings therefore suggest that attention biases to socio-emotional threat may no t have emerged by 11 months old.

Source: Infancy - November 30, 2021 Category: Child Development Authors: Sinia Sareen, Frances L. Doyle, Lindsay J. Kemp, Jaimie C. Northam, Bronte G. Morgan, Eva R. Kimonis, Jenny L. Richmond, Mike E. Le Pelley, Valsamma Eapen, Paul J. Frick, David J. Hawes, Caroline Moul, Divya Mehta, Mark R. Dadds Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research