Attention in Early Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Conte ◽  
John Richards
Keyword(s):  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Functional Development ◽  
Guide Intervention ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Attention is a complex construct that shows development throughout the life span and undergoes significant changes over the first years of life. The complexity of attentional processes is described by the different systems and brain network theorized to describe the construct (i.e., alerting, orienting, executive attention, and sustained attention). Evidence of the development of attention in infancy comes from several behavioral paradigms—primarily focused on the analysis of infants’ eye gaze—physiological measures, and neuroimaging techniques. Many of the changes in attention rely upon the structural and functional development of brain areas involved in attention processes. Behavioral and physiological signs mark the development of attention and are identifiable very early in life. The investigation of the typical development of attention is pivotal for the understanding of atypical trajectories that characterize many neurodevelopmental disorders. The individuation of alterations in early visual attention processes may be utilized to guide intervention programs aimed at improving attention and other cognitive domains.

scholarly journals Eye gaze differences in school scenes between preschool children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuko Ishizaki ◽  
Takahiro Higuchi ◽  
Yoshitoki Yanagimoto ◽  
Hodaka Kobayashi ◽  
Atsushi Noritake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Psychosomatic Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd

Abstract Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience difficulty adapting to daily life in a preschool or school settings and are likely to develop psychosomatic symptoms. For a better understanding of the difficulties experienced daily by preschool children and adolescents with ASD, this study investigated differences in eye gaze behavior in the classroom environment between children with ASD and those with typical development (TD). Methods The study evaluated 30 children with ASD and 49 children with TD. Participants were presented with images of a human face and a classroom scene. While they gazed at specific regions of visual stimuli, eye tracking with an iView X system was used to evaluate and compare the duration of gaze time between the two groups. Results Compared with preschool children with TD, preschool children with ASD spent less time gazing at the eyes of the human face and the object at which the teacher pointed in the classroom image. Preschool children with TD who had no classroom experience tended to look at the object the teacher pointed at in the classroom image. Conclusion Children with ASD did not look at the human eyes in the facial image or the object pointed at in the classroom image, which may indicate their inability to analyze situations, understand instruction in a classroom, or act appropriately in a group. This suggests that this gaze behavior of children with ASD causes social maladaptation and psychosomatic symptoms. A therapeutic approach that focuses on joint attention is desirable for improving the ability of children with ASD to adapt to their social environment.

scholarly journals Improving the Usability and Effectiveness of Online Learning: How Can Avatars help?

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 769-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Wang ◽  
Mark Chignell ◽  
Mitsuru Ishizuka
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Instructional Behaviors ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Generalized System ◽  
Eye Movement Tracking ◽  
E Learning

This paper describes Empathic Tutoring System (ETS) which uses character agents for online learning. Eye movement tracking and other physiological measures are used to personalize character agent behaviors (affective and instruction) in an e-learning environment. A prototype system reacts to learner's eye information in real-time, recording eye gaze and pupil dilation data (plus heart rate and skin conductance) during learning. Based on these measures, character agents inferred the attentional and motivational status of the learner and responded accordingly with affective and instructional behaviors. Character agents engage and direct the learner's attention while providing both generalized system help and personalized advice about the learning content. Feedbacks from preliminary usability studies may suggest that e-learning character agents reacting to eye gaze and physiological measures may heighten l earner concentration and lead to more effective learning.

scholarly journals Investigating age differences in the influence of joint attention on working memory: a preregistered online study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Gregory ◽  
Klaus Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Dynamic Head ◽  
Gaze Cuing ◽  
Important Evidence ◽  
Gaze Cues

Previous research has demonstrated that older adults make limited use of social cues as compared to younger adults. This has been investigated by testing the influence of gaze cues on attentional processes, with findings showing significantly smaller gaze cuing effects for older than younger adults. Here we aimed to investigate whether this would also result in age related differences in the influence of gaze cues on working memory. We therefore tested the effects of gaze cues from realistic human avatars on working memory across two experiments using dynamic head turns and more subtle eye gaze movements. Results demonstrated that for both older and younger adults, gaze cues influenced working memory processes, though there were some important differences related to the nature of the cue. Overall, we provide important evidence that sharing attention benefits cognition across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Conceptualising and Measuring Student Disengagement in Higher Education: A Synthesis of the Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Chipchase ◽  
Megan Davidson ◽  
Felicity Blackstock ◽  
Ros Bye ◽  
Peter Colthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Competing Demands ◽  
Unrealistic Expectations

Much has been written about why students engage in academic studies at university, with less attention given to the concept of disengagement. Understanding the risks and factors associated with student disengagement from learning provides opportunities for targeted remediation. The aims of this review were to 1) explore how student disengagement has been conceptualised, 2) identify factors associated with disengagement and 3) identify measureable indicators of disengagement in previous literature. A systematic search was conducted across relevant databases and key websites. Reference lists of included papers were screened for additional publications. Studies and national published survey data were included if they addressed issues pertaining to student disengagement with learning or the academic environment, were in full text and in English. In the 32 papers that met the inclusion criteria, student disengagement was conceptualised as a multi-faceted, complex yet fluid state that has a combination of behavioural, emotional and cognitive domains influenced by intrinsic (psychological factors, low motivation, inadequate preparation for higher education and unmet or unrealistic expectations) or extrinsic (competing demands, institutional structure and processes, teaching quality and online teaching and learning). A number of measurable indicators of disengagement were synthesised from the literature including those that were self-reported by students and those collected by an institution. An examination of the conceptualisation, influences and indicators of disengagement could inform intervention programs to ameliorate the consequences of disengagement for students and academic institutions.

The uses of cognitive training technologies in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders

Autism ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 851-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam V Wass ◽  
Kaska Porayska-Pomsta
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Technological Interventions ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Future Work ◽  
And Robotics

In this review, we focus on research that has used technology to provide cognitive training – i.e. to improve performance on some measurable aspect of behaviour – in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We review technology-enhanced interventions that target three different cognitive domains: (a) emotion and face recognition, (b) language and literacy, and (c) social skills. The interventions reviewed allow for interaction through different modes, including point-and-click and eye-gaze contingent software, and are delivered through diverse implementations, including virtual reality and robotics. In each case, we examine the evidence of the degree of post-training improvement observed following the intervention, including evidence of transfer to altered behaviour in ecologically valid contexts. We conclude that a number of technological interventions have found that observed improvements within the computerised training paradigm fail to generalise to altered behaviour in more naturalistic settings, which may result from problems that people with autism spectrum disorders experience in generalising and extrapolating knowledge. However, we also point to several promising findings in this area. We discuss possible directions for future work.

scholarly journals Eye gaze differences in school scenes between preschool children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuko Ishizaki ◽  
Takahiro Higuchi ◽  
Yoshitoki Yanagimoto ◽  
Hodaka Kobayashi ◽  
Atsushi Noritake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Psychosomatic Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd

Abstract Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience difficulty adapting to daily life in a preschool or school settings and are likely to develop psychosomatic symptoms. For a better understanding of the difficulties experienced daily by preschool children and adolescents with ASD, this study investigated differences in eye gaze behavior in the classroom environment between children with ASD and those with typical development (TD).Methods: The study evaluated 30 children with ASD and 49 children with TD. Participants were presented with images of a human face and a classroom scene. While they gazed at specific regions of visual stimuli, eye tracking with an iView X system was used to evaluate and compare the duration of gaze time between the two groups.Results: Compared with preschool children with TD, preschool children with ASD spent less time gazing at the eyes of the human face and the object at which the teacher pointed in the classroom image. Preschool children with TD who had no classroom experience tended to look at the object the teacher pointed at in the classroom image.Conclusion: Children with ASD did not look at the human eyes in the facial image or the object pointed at in the classroom image, which may indicate their inability to analyze situations, understand instruction in a classroom, or act appropriately in a group. This suggests that this gaze behavior of children with ASD causes social maladaptation and psychosomatic symptoms. A therapeutic approach that focuses on joint attention is desirable for improving the ability of children with ASD to adapt to their social environment.

scholarly journals Simultaneous fMRI and eye gaze recordings during prolonged natural stimulation - a studyforrest extension

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hanke ◽  
Nico Adelhöfer ◽  
Daniel Kottke ◽  
Vittorio Iacovella ◽  
Ayan Sengupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Fmri Data ◽  
Stimulus Motion ◽  
Natural Stimulus ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Natural Stimulation ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Response Congruency ◽  
Additional Sample

AbstractHere we present an update of the studyforrest (http://studyforrest.org) dataset that complements the previously released functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data for natural language processing with a new two-hour 3Tesla fMRI acquisition while 15 of the original participants were shown an audio-visual version of the stimulus motion picture. We demonstrate with two validation analyses that these new data support modeling specific properties of the complex natural stimulus, as well as a substantial within-subject BOLD response congruency in brain areas related to the processing of auditory inputs, speech, and narrative when compared to the existing fMRI data for audio-only stimulation. In addition, we provide participants’ eye gaze location as recorded simultaneously with fMRI, and an additional sample of 15 control participants whose eye gaze trajectories for the entire movie were recorded in a lab setting — to enable studies on attentional processes and comparative investigations on the potential impact of the stimulation setting on these processes.

scholarly journals Eye gaze differences in school scenes between preschool children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder and those with typical development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuko Ishizaki ◽  
Takahiro Higuchi ◽  
Yoshitoki Yanagimoto ◽  
Hodaka Kobayashi ◽  
Atsushi Noritake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Human Face ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Psychosomatic Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
School Classroom

Abstract Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sometimes find it difficult to adapt to the daily life in a nursery or at school and are likely to develop psychosomatic symptoms. For a better understanding on the difficulties that preschool children and adolescents with ASD face in their daily lives, this study aimed to identify the differences in eye gaze behavior in the classroom environment between children with ASD and those with typical development (TD). Methods: A total of 30 children with ASD and 49 children with TD were included. We presented images of a human face and a classroom setting and used eye tracking with an iView X system in evaluating and comparing how long the two groups gazed at specific regions of the visual stimuli. Results: Compared to children with TD, children with ASD spent less time gazing at the eyes of the human face and the object pointed by the teacher in the school classroom scene. Preschool children with no classroom experience and adolescents with TD spent the same amount of time looking at the eyes and the object pointed by the teacher in the school classroom scene. Conclusion: Children with ASD did not look at the eyes in the facial image or the object pointed at in the classroom image, which might indicate their inability to analyze situations, understand instruction in a classroom, or act appropriately in a group. It is suggested that these gaze behavior of the children with ASD cause maladaptation and psychosomatic symptoms. A therapeutic approach that focuses on joint attention is desirable for the improvement of their adaptation to the society for children with ASD.

scholarly journals Alterations in Social Brain Network Topology at Rest in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narae Yoon ◽  
Youngmin Huh ◽  
Hyekyoung Lee ◽  
Johanna Inhyang Kim ◽  
Jung Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Network Topology ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Default Mode

Abstract BackgroundUnderconnectivity in the resting brain is not consistent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is known that the default mode network is mainly decreased in childhood ASD. This study investigated the brain network topology as the changes in the connection strength and network efficiency in childhood ASD, including the early developmental stages.MethodsIn this study, 31 ASD children aged 2–11 years were compared with 31 age and sex-matched children showing typical development. We explored the functional connectivity based on graph filtration by assessing the single linkage distance and global and nodal efficiencies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The relationship between functional connectivity and clinical scores was also analyzed.ResultsUnderconnectivities within the posterior default mode network subregions and between the inferior parietal lobule and inferior frontal/superior temporal regions were observed in the ASD group. These areas significantly correlated with the clinical phenotypes. The global, local, and nodal network efficiencies were lower in children with ASD than in those with typical development. In the preschool-age children (2–6 years) with ASD, the anterior-posterior connectivity of the default mode network and cerebellar connectivity were reduced.ConclusionsThe observed topological reorganization, underconnectivity, and disrupted efficiency in the default mode network subregions and social function-related regions could be significant biomarkers of childhood ASD.

scholarly journals Age-Related Changes in Hemispherical Specialization for Attentional Networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Casagrande ◽  
Francesca Agostini ◽  
Francesca Favieri ◽  
Giuseppe Forte ◽  
Jasmine Giovannoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Control ◽  
Hemispheric Specialization ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Attentional Functioning ◽  
Attentional Networks ◽  
Age Related

Many cognitive functions face a decline in the healthy elderly. Within the cognitive domains, both attentional processes and executive functions are impaired with aging. Attention includes three attentional networks, i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive control that showed a hemispheric lateralized pattern in adults. This lateralized pattern could have a role in modulating the efficiency of attentional networks. For these reasons could be relevant to analyze the age-related change of hemispheric specialization of attentional networks. This study aims to clarify this aspect with a lateralized version of the ANTI-Fruit. One hundred sixty-seven participants took part in this study. They are divided in three age groups: early adulthood (N=57; Range: 20-30); late adulthood (N=57; Range 31-64) and elderly/older people (N=57; Range: 65-87). Results confirm the previous outcomes on the efficiency and interactions among attentional networks. Moreover, an age-related generalized slowness was evidenced. These findings also support the hypothesis of a hemispheric asymmetry reduction in elderly/older adults. This pattern could partially explain the decrease in attentional functioning in elderly/older age.

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