Ballieux, H., Wass, S., Tomalski, P., Kushnerenko, E., Karmiloff-Smith, A., Johnson, M.H. and Moore, D.G. 2016. Applying gaze-contingent training within community settings to infants from diverse SES backgrounds. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 43, pp. 8-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.005
| Title | Applying gaze-contingent training within community settings to infants from diverse SES backgrounds |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Ballieux, H., Wass, S., Tomalski, P., Kushnerenko, E., Karmiloff-Smith, A., Johnson, M.H. and Moore, D.G. |
| Abstract | Even in infancy children from low-SES backgrounds differ in frontal cortex functioning and, by the start of preschool, they frequently show poor performance on executive functions including attention control. These differences may causally mediate later difficulties in academic learning. Here, we present a study to assess the feasibility of using computerized paradigms to train attention control in infants, delivered weekly over five sessions in early intervention centres for low-SES families. Thirty-three 12-month-old infants were recruited, of whom 23 completed the training. Our results showed the feasibility of repeat-visit cognitive training within community settings. Training-related improvements were found, relative to active controls, on tasks assessing visual sustained attention, saccadic reaction time, and rule learning, whereas trend improvements were found on assessments of short-term memory. No significant improvements were found in task switching. These results warrant further investigation into the potential of this method for targeting ‘at-risk’ infants in community settings. |
| Keywords | Cognitive Training |
| Attention Training | |
| Early Development | |
| Socioeconomic Status | |
| Community Settings | |
| Infant | |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology |
| Journal citation | 43, pp. 8-17 |
| ISSN | 0193-3973 |
| Year | 2016 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Accepted author manuscript | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.005 |
| Web address (URL) | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.005 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 09 Jan 2016 |
| Funder | Nuffield Foundation |