The attribution of attention: 9-month-olds’ interpretation of gaze as goal-directed action

  1. Susan C. Johnson1,
  2. Su-Jeong Ok1,
  3. Yuyan Luo2

Article first published online: 27 JUN 2007

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00606.x

Issue

Developmental Science

Developmental Science

Volume 10, Issue 5, pages 530–537, September 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

Johnson, S. C., Ok, S.-J. and Luo, Y. (2007), The attribution of attention: 9-month-olds’ interpretation of gaze as goal-directed action. Developmental Science, 10: 530–537. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00606.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Psychology, Stanford University, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Psychology, University of Missouri – Columbia, USA

*Address for correspondence: Susan Johnson, Department of Psychology, Jordan Hall, Bldg 420, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; e-mail: scj@psych.stanford.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 27 JUN 2007
  2. Article first published online: 27 JUN 2007
  3. Received: 12 January 2006 Accepted: 8 September 2006

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Abstract

The current study distinguishes between attributions of goal-directed perception (i.e. attention) and non-goal-directed perception to examine 9-month-olds’ interpretation of others’ head and eye turns. In a looking time task, 9-month-olds encoded the relationship between an actor's head and eye turns and a target object if the head and eye turns were embedded in a sequence of multiple, variable actions with equifinal outcomes, but not otherwise. This evidence supports the claim that infants of this age may attribute perception, at least goal-directed perception, to others and undermines arguments that gaze-following at this age consists only of uninterpreted reflexes. The evidence also suggests alternative interpretations of the typical errors infants make in standard gaze-following procedures. Implications for infants’ understanding of perception and attention in both human and non-human agents are discussed.

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