The Dynamics of Caregiver Unpredictability Shape Moment-To-Moment Infant Looking During Dyadic Interaction

Bibliographic Data

ID9646239
AuthorsTess Allegra Forest (0000-0002-3884-2786, Columbia University, corresponding author), Layla Bradford (University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Lorna Ginnell (0000-0003-2273-2264, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences , Blantyre), Maroussia Berger (Columbia University), Donna Herr (0000-0002-7721-9129, University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Emmie Mbale (0000-0001-7134-2858, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences , Blantyre), Kavindya Dalawella (Columbia University), Chloë A Jacobs (0009-0003-0850-4625, University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Chikondi Mchazime (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences , Blantyre), Celia D'Amato (Columbia University), Zamazimba Madi (University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Pious Clifford Mkaka (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences , Blantyre), Claudia Espinoza-Heredia (0000-0002-0090-8962, Columbia University), Tembeka Mhlakwaphalwa (University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Vukiwe Ngoma (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences , Blantyre), Monique Gilmore (Columbia University), Marlie Miles (0009-0004-7526-8885, University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Jinge Ren (Columbia University), Nwabisa Mlandu (0000-0002-3483-2898, University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Reese Samuels (University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Michal R Zieff (0000-0001-9352-9947, University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Melissa Gladstone (0000-0002-2579-9301, University of Liverpool , Liverpool), Kirsten A Donald (0000-0002-0276-9660, University of Cape Town , Cape Town), Dima Amso (0000-0001-6798-4698, Columbia University)
Year2025
Volume96
Issue6
Pages1885-1898
Publication date2025-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChild Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0009-3920 • E-ISSN: 1467-8624
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/cdev.70012
PMID40693992
OpenAlexW4412571025
LanguageEN
References cited49

Cognitive development is associated with how predictable caregivers are, but the mechanisms driving this are unclear. One possibility is caregiver predictability initially shapes how infants gather information for learning. Here, caregiver-infant dyads (N = 222, 2-6-months-old, all female caregivers; data collected 2022–2023) in South Africa and Malawi engaged in naturalistic play before their interactions were hand-annotated to measure caregiver predictability and infant gaze. In both countries, temporal variation in caregiver predictability shaped infant looking dynamics—infants attended to specific sensory signals (η2 = 0.04) and specific timepoints (η2 = 0.10) that were useful for them based on their caregiver's typical behavior. These findings provide a framework by which the predictability of caregiver behavior may shape fundamental, early optimization of visual attention for learning in infancy and later cognitive development

Child development · Cognition · Cognitive development · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Dynamics (music) · Gaze · Infant development · Naturalistic observation · Predictability · Child and Animal Learning Development · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Neuroscience · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOI