The proposed studies will explore 12-18 month old infants' ability to use other people as a source of information about the world. Specifically, this research will determine whether a) infant imitation is influenced by emotional displays that do not directly involve them (i.e., indirect emotional cues) and b) whether infants take into account the attentional state of the person providing the emotional information. To investigate these issues, a new experimental paradigm has been developed and successfully employed in two preliminary studies. Infants watch an Experimenter demonstrating an action on an object. The Emoter (an unfamiliar adult) expresses either Anger or Neutral affect in response to the Experimenter's actions. Infants are then given an opportunity to play with the object themselves. During this time, the Emoter's behavior is manipulated so that she can either see or not see what the infant is doing with the object. If infants are loathe to imitate after watching the Emoter express anger about the Experimenter's actions, it implies that infants expect the Emoter to express further anger if they themselves were to produce the modeled action. This suggests that they understand how actions are linked to emotions. If infants also recognize the importance of attentional cues, they should be more likely to imitate when the angry adult is unable to see what they are doing with the object. For instance, if the Emoter subsequently reads a magazine, closes her eyes or wears a blindfold, infants should not expect her to become angry when they play with the object. This would imply that infants appreciate how people's visual experiences influence their emotional reactions. In sum, this research will provide new insight into how other people's emotional reactions can influence infants' interpretation of the world and how infants use this type of emotional information to guide their own behavior. For instance, by observing how one person emotionally responds to another person's actions, infants may begin to learn about the social and/or moral significance of their own actions. These studies will also extend what is known about children's earliest understanding of other people's mental states. The ability to understand other people's minds - what they might be thinking, feeling, perceiving or wanting - is essential for successful peer relationships and other positive social behaviors. ? ? ?
| Repacholi, Betty M; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Rowe, Hillary et al. (2014) Infant, Control Thyself: Infants' Integration of Multiple Social Cues to Regulate Their Imitative Behavior. Cogn Dev 32:46-57 |
| Repacholi, Betty M; Meltzoff, Andrew N; Olsen, Berit (2008) Infants'understanding of the link between visual perception and emotion: ""If she can't see me doing it, she won't get angry."". Dev Psychol 44:561-74 |
