An asynchronous, hands-off workflow for looking time experiments with infants
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9788621 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gal Raz (0000-0002-0712-7560, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, corresponding author), Sabrina Piccolo (Northeastern University), Janine Medrano (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Shari Liu (0000-0002-7037-5401, Johns Hopkins University), Kirsten O Lydic (0009-0004-1171-3919, University of Pennsylvania), Kirsten Lydic, Catherine Mei (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Victoria Nguyen (0009-0001-8191-0908, Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences), Tianmin Shu (Johns Hopkins University), Rebecca Saxe (0000-0003-2377-1791, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1447-1456 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Developmental Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037/dev0001791 |
| OpenAlex | W4399984952 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
The study of infant gaze has long been a key tool for understanding the developing mind. However, labor-intensive data collection and processing limit the speed at which this understanding can be advanced. Here, we demonstrate an asynchronous workflow for conducting violation-of-expectation (VoE) experiments, which is fully "hands-off" for the experimenter. We first replicate four classic VoE experiments in a synchronous online setting, and show that VoE can generate highly replicable effects through remote testing. We then confirm the accuracy of a state-of-the-art gaze annotation software, iCatcher+ in a new setting. Third, we train parents to control the experiment flow based on the infant's gaze. Combining all three innovations, we then conduct an asynchronous automated infant-contingent VoE experiment. The hands-off workflow successfully replicates a classic VoE effect: infants look longer at inefficient actions than efficient ones. We compare the resulting effect size and statistical power to the same study run in-lab and synchronously via Zoom. The hands-off workflow significantly reduces the marginal cost and time per participant, enabling larger sample sizes. By enhancing the reproducibility and robustness of findings relying on infant looking, this workflow could help support a cumulative science of infant cognition. Tools to implement the workflow are openly available. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Asynchronous communication · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Workflow · Computer Science · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Psychology
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |