Selective use of infant voluntary eye movements in multiple contexts, using a gaze contingency paradigm

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K21341
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cognitive science; Kansei informatics
• Research Institution: Otsuma Women's University
• Principal Investigator: Miyazaki Michiko 大妻女子大学, 社会情報学部, 講師 (90526732)
• Research Collaborator: TAKAHASHI Hideyuki ; KANAKOGI Yasuhiro
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 視線随伴 / Agency / 乳児 / 視線計測

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we applied the gaze-contingency task, which we have been using to evaluate the development of a sense of agency (Miyazaki et al., 2014), to examine whether 8-month-olds can perform their gaze control according to social context through three experiments. Specifically, we showed an animation in which social interactions (misdeeds) were observed, and in a context in which the infants’ gaze control would punish the villain character, they showed a gaze control that punishes the villain. It turns out, however, that when the gaze control is in a context where the villain character cannot be intimidated, such gaze control was disappeared.

Free Research Field

発達心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究で得られた成果には大きく2つの意義がある。一つ目は視線随伴パラダイムにおける視線の操作が、与えられた文脈に応じて適応的に変化したことである。二つ目は、悪役に対して乳児自らが懲らしめるかのような行動を示したことである。特に二つ目については乳児の向社会性の発達における重大な発見となることが示唆される。