Attention to distractors during social and nonsocial events: Changes across age and predicting language outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Attention, Learning, Memory

Abstract

The development of sustained attention (maintaining attention to objects and events when a distractor is present) is critical for perceptual and cognitive processing (Richards, 2004). Better sustained attention is accompanied by reduced attention to distractors (Richards & Turner, 2001; Ruff & Capozzoli, 2003) and better word learning (Dixon & Sally, 2007). However, few studies have assessed longitudinal developmental trajectories of attention to distractors during audiovisual events, nor looked at individual differences in distractibility as predictors of later outcomes (but see Dixon & Sally, 2007, for an example). These questions can now be addressed using a newly established individual difference measure, the Multisensory Assessment Protocol (MAAP; Bahrick, Todd, & Soska, 2018). Trials during the MAAP consist of two laterally-presented audiovisual social or nonsocial events with a centrally-presented irrelevant distractor event. We assessed changes in attention to the distractor event from 3-36 months and relations between distractor attention and language outcomes.
Children (N=104) participating in an ongoing longitudinal study received the MAAP at 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 36-months. Each trial begins with a silent 3s central visual event (moving animated shapes) followed by two lateral events (12s) of women speaking (social) or objects striking a surface (nonsocial; Figure 1). The visual movements of one lateral event are synchronous with its natural soundtrack while those of the other event are asynchronous. For half the trials (distractor trials), the distractor event remains on during the lateral events, and these trials are the focus of this poster. Attention to the distractor was calculated as the proportion of total looking time to the distractor event divided by the total looking time to the distractor plus both lateral events. For language outcomes, we calculated vocabulary size on the MB-CDI at 12- and 18-months and language scores on the Mullen at 18-months.
Attention to the distractor decreased with age (Figure 2). For social events, it decreased from 65% (SD=18%) at 3-months to 47% (SD=23%) at 6-months, p<.001, with no change after 6-months. For nonsocial events, there was no change between 3-6 months but a decrease from 72% (SD=16%) at 6-months to 39% (SD=17%) at 18-months, p<.001, with no change after 18-months. At 3- and 6-months, children showed greater distractor attention on nonsocial than social trials, ps<.001 (Figure 2). Pearson correlations indicated that at 6-months, less distractor attention on nonsocial trials predicted higher 12-month expressive vocabulary size on the MB-CDI, p = .05. At 12-months, less distractor attention on social trials predicted higher 18-month receptive language scores on the Mullen, p = .02.
Consistent with prior research, infant attention to a distractor event decreased across development, with significant decreases from 3-6 months (social events), and from 6-18 months (nonsocial events). Further, better sustained attention (less distractor looking) predicted better language outcomes later in development. Infants who are more distractible may be less attentive to language input. Characterizing developmental trajectories of attention to distractors may be useful for identifying children at risk for attention and language impairments.

Authors

• Kaitlyn Testa, Florida International University
  Presenting Author

• James Torrence Todd, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bret Eschman, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elizabeth V. Edgar, Yale University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lorraine E. Bahrick, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author