The Role of Individual Differences and Manipulation of Joint Attention in an Executive Function Task for Toddlers

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Attention, Learning, Memory

Abstract

Representational theories of executive function (i.e., EF or conscious control) suggest a major factor in developing EF is the ability to form and reflect on task-relevant representations (e.g., Zelazo, 2004, 2015). For instance, providing relevant linguistic labels during EF tasks improves EF performance in preschoolers (e.g., Miller & Marcovitch, 2011; Kirkham et al., 2003) and children with stronger language typically display better EF (e.g., Cragg & Nation, 2010). Although preliminary evidence links language comprehension and EF in children younger than 24 months, results are equivocal (e.g., Miller & Marcovitch, 2015, Devine et al., 2019). One reason for the ambiguity could be that young language novices may communicate and represent the world with motoric actions (e.g., Zelazo, 2004). To this point, studies have linked toddler’s EF and joint attention (JA)—the sharing of attentional episodes between an object and another person (e.g., protodeclarative pointing, gaze following, Gago Galvango et al., 2019, Miller & Marcovitch, 2015). The present study will extend this work to examine whether encouraging JA during an EF task improved EF performance.

We examined performance from a complete sample of thirty-eight 18-month-olds (Mage=18.16 months, SD=.66) and thirty 24-month-olds (Mage=24.08 months, SD=.80) on a modified A-not-B task. The experimenter sat behind a hiding apparatus and covertly “hid” a toy that emerged from a location for 30 seconds before retreating. The experimenter proceeded in one of 3 ways according to condition meant to manipulate joint attention, see Table 1. After a ten-second delay, children searched for the toy. This was repeated until children found the toy 3 times correctly at location A, then the toy was moved to a new location B. Accuracy on the first B (i.e., switch) trial was measured. In addition, video coding of JA is in-progress from experimenter-child structured interactions involving a gaze following task and object spectacle task (Mundy et al., 2003). Parents also completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) measuring language comprehension and production (Fenson et al, 2007).

A Mantel-Haenszel Chi-Square will be conducted to examine our hypothesis that children will perform best on the A-not-B task in the child point/JA condition, as protodeclarative pointing encouraged within this condition may be the first instance of self-generated representational labeling—where children may hold a representation related to the task by pointing to the toy and hiding location within episodes of shared attention (e.g., Zelazo, 2004). This should be followed by the experimenter point/JA condition, as passive responding to experimenter pointing may encourage reflection (albeit less than self-generated pointing). Finally, children should perform worst in the experimenter point/no JA condition, suggesting it is not the presence of pointing per se, rather the joint attention shared by pointing within a social episode where higher representation used to guide behavior may emerge (e.g., Miller & Marcovitch, 2015; Vygotsky, 1986). We will also examine whether individual differences in JA, language, and age impact findings. This work may provide further support for representational theories of EF and their emergence within a social context during the less frequently studied toddler.

Authors

• Biju Rajbhandari, University of Mississippi
  Presenting Author

• Tonya Marie Vandenbrink, University of Mississippi
  Non-Presenting Author

• Zubie Reagan Pearce, University of Mississippi
  Non-Presenting Author

• Carey Bernini Dowling, University of Mississippi
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie E. Miller, University of Mississippi
  Non-Presenting Author