Abstract In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the motivations behind, and function of, infant pointing behaviour. Many studies have converged on view that early reflects motivation to share attention with others. Under one view, it is sharing itself ultimate pointing, an manifestation uniquely human social cognition geared towards cooperation collaboration. current study, we tested alternative hypothesis which goal not itself, but information‐laden response infants tend...

Significance This paper addresses the possible developmental origins of humans’ preference for native speakers. Infants’ to attend someone speaking their language is well documented and has been interpreted as a precursor our adult tendency divide social world into groups, preferring members one’s own group disfavoring others. Here we propose that this may originate from infants’ desire acquire information therefore preferentially interact with partners who are more likely provide them...

The majority of current developmental models prioritise a pedagogical approach to knowledge acquisition in infancy, which infants play relatively passive role as recipients information. In view recent evidence, demonstrating that use pointing express interest and solicit information from adults, we set out test whether giving the child leading deciding what receive leads better learning. Sixteen-month-olds were introduced pairs novel objects and, once they had pointed an object, shown...

Brain and nervous system development in human infants during the first 1000 days (conception to two years of age) is critical, compromised this time (such as from under nutrition or poverty) can have life-long effects on physical growth cognitive function. Cortical mapping function infancy poorly understood resource-poor settings due lack transportable low-cost neuroimaging methods. Having established a signature cortical response social versus non-social visual auditory stimuli 4 6 months...

Investigating learning mechanisms in infancy relies largely on behavioural measures like visual attention, which often fail to predict whether stimuli would be encoded successfully. This study explored EEG activity the theta frequency band, previously shown successful adults, directly infants' cognitive engagement, beyond attention. We tested 11-month-old infants ( N = 23) and demonstrated that differences frontal theta-band oscillations, recorded during object exploration, predicted...

Adults can integrate multiple sensory estimates to reduce their uncertainty in perceptual and motor tasks. In recent studies, children did not show this ability until after 8 years. Here we investigated development of the vision with proprioception localize hand. We tested 109 4- 12-year-olds adults on a simple pointing task. Participants used an unseen hand beneath table point targets presented top alone, or both together. Overall, 7- 9-year-olds' adults' points were significantly less...

Although it is undeniable that the motor system recruited when people observe others’ actions, inferences brain generates from activation and mechanisms involved in system’s recruitment are still unknown. Here, we challenged popular hypothesis involvement action observation enables observer to identify predict an agent’s goal by matching observed actions with existing corresponding representations. Using a novel neural indication of prediction—sensorimotor-cortex measured...

It is well established that, from an early age, human infants interpret the movements of others as actions directed towards goals. However, cognitive and neural mechanisms which underlie this ability are hotly debated. The current study was designed to identify brain regions involved in representation others' goals development. Studies with adults have demonstrated that anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) exhibits repetition suppression for repeated a release new goals, implicating specific...

Active learning is a critical component of human development, however, the mechanisms supporting it are not fully understood. Given that early experiences may affect both infants' immediate success, as well their motivation to learn, particularly important investigate active in this period, when foundations habits and curiosity built. Traditional behavioural approaches studying infant face challenges emerging tools from neuroscience help relieve. We introduce one such tool, EEG theta...

This study investigates 16-month-old infants' sensitivity to the informativeness of evidence and its potential link ability draw accurate causal inferences predict unfolding events. Employing concurrent EEG eye tracking, data from 66 infants revealed significantly increased theta oscillatory activity when expected see causally unconfounded compared confounded evidence, suggesting heightened cognitive engagement in anticipation informative evidence. Crucially, this difference was more...

Abstract Humans engage in cooperative activities from early on and the breadth of human cooperation is unparalleled. Human preference for might reflect cognitive motivational mechanisms that drive engagement activities. Here we investigate indices humans’ abilities test whether 14-month-old infants expect agents to prefer over individual goal achievement. Three groups saw videos facing a choice between two actions led identical rewards but differed costs. Our results show that, line with...

Interpreting others' actions as goal-directed, even when the are unfamiliar, is indispensable for social learning, and can be particularly important infants, whose own action repertoire limited. Indeed, young infants have been shown to attribute goals unfamiliar early 3 months of age, but this ability appears restricted performed by individuals. In contrast, attributing shared multiple individuals seems emerge only in second year life. Considering restrictions that would impose on infants'...

The Mullen Scales of Early Learning is a developmental assessment battery which can be administered from birth to five years age separately assess gross motor, fine receptive language, expressive and visual abilities. Scores for each subscale as well an overall composite score are typically computed based on comparison Western norms. aim this work was adapt the use at field station in rural Africa tool cognitive function nutrition studies. We also examine associations between behavioural...

The goal of our project is to establish assessments evaluate the efficacy nutritional interventions during first 1000 days life. Here we measure cognitive function in newborn infants. Cortical mapping brain infancy rarely undertaken low‐income countries due lack transportable neuroimaging methods. Studying infant situations where development may be compromised some way, such as through under nutrition, provide information that has been unavailable with behavioural paradigms particularly for...

Integrating multiple sensory estimates while weighting each according to its own reliability can minimise the uncertainty of overall estimate. Whilst human adults are able combine sources information optimally, recent studies indicate that in typical development this ability does not develop until late childhood (Nardini, Bedford & Mareschal, PNAS 2010). Unusual responses were described Kanner's (1943) first reports autism, and multisensory integration has been investigated several (e.g....

The goal of our project is to establish assessments evaluate the efficacy nutritional interventions during first 1000 days life. Here we examine behavioral performance on a standardised developmental assessment scale (Mullen Scales Early Learning; MSEL) and anthropometric growth indices in infants at research station West Africa. 
 MSEL battery for use from birth five years age. We adapted Gambia. A committee native, dual‐language speakers trained administrators reviewed measure where...

Appropriate nutrition in the first 1000 days of life is essential for optimal brain development and function. Neurobehavioral assessments cognitive function can only be used to detect effects nutritional deficiencies once they reach point observable behaviour, thus reducing possibility targeted early intervention strategies. The aim this study was demonstrate use optical imaging as an assessment tool two years based studies a resource poor setting. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique...

Perception of depth from both monocular and binocular cues develops in the first year life. However, reduction discrimination thresholds via weighted averaging does not develop until much later childhood (Nardini, Bedford & Mareschal, PNAS 2010). Cue combination models often assume that are well calibrated (unbiased). In case optimal strategy is to take a reliability-weighted average. If, however, young observers, then them may be strategy. To investigate this possibility we measured...

Brain and nervous system development in human infants during the first 1000 days ‐ which includes pregnancy two years of life is critical, risk compromised this time can have a deep impact on physical growth cognitive function into adulthood. Recent research has shown that under nutrition infancy linked to lifelong effects adult health, however we still comparatively poor understanding how brain early life. The non‐invasive imaging techniques, such as functional near infrared Spectroscopy...