To signal or not: the influence of communicative signalling on infant executive function

• Main Author: Priyadharshini d/o Chockalingam
• Other Authors: Victoria Leong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168519
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Communicative Signalling is universally and prevalently observed in most parent-child interactions, especially with pre-verbal infants. While communicative signalling has shown to be important for the cognitive development in infants, its efficacy in the development of executive function remains unknown. Aim: The first part of the present study aims to explore the influence of attended and unattended, maternal, and infant communicative signals on infant executive function. The second part of the study explores the influence of communicative signals from 5 different communicative domains (Gaze, Gaze Following, Vocal, Reach and Smile) on infant executive function. Methods: We observed for communicative signals from infants and mothers during the A-not-B task and measured for infant performance on the A-not-B task using reaction time. Overall Findings: Maternal cues predicted slower reaction times, but infant cues had the opposite effect. Attended status did not predict performance, however gaze following was predictive of slower reaction time and reach cues were predictive of faster reaction times.