A Framework for Online Experimenter-Moderated Looking-Time Studies Assessing Infants’ Linguistic Knowledge

Online data collection methods pose unique challenges and opportunities for infant researchers. Looking-time measures require relative timing precision to link eye-gaze behavior to stimulus presentation, particularly for tasks that require visual stimuli to be temporally linked to auditory stimuli, which may be disrupted when studies are delivered online. Concurrently, by widening potential geographic recruitment areas, online data collection may also provide an opportunity to diversify participant samples that are not possible given in-lab data collection. To date, there is limited information about these potential challenges and opportunities. In Study 1, twenty-one 23- to 26-month-olds participated in an experimenter-moderated looking-time paradigm that was administered via the video conferencing platform Zoom, attempting to recreate in-lab data collection using a looking-while-listening paradigm. Data collected virtually approximated results from in-lab samples of familiar word recognition, after minimal corrections to account for timing variability. We also found that the procedures were robust to a wide range of internet speeds, increasing the range of potential participants. However, despite the use of an online task, the participants in Study 1 were demographically unrepresentative, as typically observed with in-person studies in our geographic area. The potentially wider reach of online data collection methods presents an opportunity to recruit larger, more representative samples than those traditionally found in lab-based infant research, which is crucial for conducting generalizable human-subjects research. In Study 2, microtargeted Facebook advertisements for online studies were directed at two geographic locations that are comparable in population size but vary widely in demographic and socioeconomic factors. We successfully elicited sign-up responses from caregivers in neighborhoods that are far more diverse than the local University community in which we conduct our in-person studies. The current studies provide a framework for infancy researchers to conduct remote eye-gaze studies by identifying best practices for recruitment, design, and analysis. Moderated online data collection can provide considerable benefits to the diversification of infant research, with minimal impact on the timing precision and usability of the resultant data.

Stable individual differences in infants’ responses to violations of intuitive physics

Infants look longer at impossible or unlikely events than at possible events. While these responses to expectancy violations have been critical for understanding early cognition, interpreting them is challenging because infants’ responses are highly variable. This variability has been treated as an unavoidable nuisance inherent to infant research. Here we asked whether the variability contains signal in addition to noise: namely, whether some infants show consistently stronger responses to expectancy violations than others. Infants watched two unrelated physical events 6 mo apart; these events culminated in either an impossible or an expected outcome. We found that infants who exhibited the strongest looking response to an impossible event at 11 mo also exhibited the strongest response to an entirely different impossible event at 17 mo. Furthermore, violation-of-expectation responses in infancy predicted children’s explanation-based curiosity at 3 y old. In contrast, there was no longitudinal relation between infants’ responses to events with expected outcomes at 11 and 17 mo, nor any link with later curiosity; hence, infants’ responses do not merely reflect individual differences in attention but are specific to expectancy violations. Some children are better than others at detecting prediction errors—a trait that may be linked to later cognitive abilities.

Automated gaze direction scoring from videos collected online through conventional webcam.

As online research has become more prevalent, researchers have been investigating the possibility of replicating techniques that go beyond measuring only simple behaviour. One such method could leverage the webcam of the participants’ device to collect information about eye gaze direction. Several packages have been developed for collecting such data, but they all lead to high attrition and require extensive and potentially frustrating calibration procedures, which hinders all research, in particular data collection including children and participants with neuro-developmental difficulties.To overcome this issue, we developed GazeScorer, a package that uses basic image processing techniques and a simple one-point calibration to score horizontal gaze orientation. We based our work on experience gained from infant research, in which a researcher manually scores horizontal gaze orientation from individual video frames. Using videos collected in two browser-based remote studies, one including adults, and one including children. We achieved low participant attrition, single-frame point calibration, and demonstrated a good level of inter-rater reliability between GazeScorer and a manual scorer. Our package provides a potential resource for researchers working with populations who could not perform a long or involved calibration, in studies in which information about horizontal gaze orientation is sufficient.

Six solutions for more reliable infant research

Infant research is often underpowered, undermining the robustness and replicability of our findings. Improving the reliability of infant measures offers a solution for increasing statistical power independent of sample size. Here, we discuss two senses of the term reliability in the context of infant research: reliable (large) effects and reliable measures. We examine the circumstances under which effects are strongest and measures are most reliable, and provide simulations to illustrate the relationship between effect size, measurement reliability, and statistical power. We then present six concrete solutions for improving measurement in infant research: (1) routinely estimating and reporting the effect size and measurement reliability of infant tasks, (2) selecting the best measurement tool, (3) developing better infant paradigms, (4) collecting more data points per infant, (5) excluding unreliable data from analysis, and (6) conducting more sophisticated data analyses. Deeper consideration of measurement in infant research will improve our ability to study infant development.

A survey on the attitudes of parents with young children on in-home monitoring technologies and study designs for infant research

Remote in-home infant monitoring technologies hold great promise for increasing the scalability and safety of infant research (including in regard to the current Covid-19 pandemic), but remain rarely employed. These technologies hold a number of fundamental challenges and ethical concerns that need addressing to aid the success of this fast-growing field. In particular, the responsible development of such technologies requires caregiver input. We conducted a survey of the opinions of 410 caregivers on the viability, privacy and data access of remote in-home monitoring technologies and study designs. Infant-friendly wearable devices (such as sensing body suits) were viewed favourably. Caregivers were marginally more likely to accept video and audio recording in the home if data was anonymised (through automated processing) at point of collection, particularly when observations were lengthy. Caregivers were more open to international data sharing for anonymous data. Caregivers were interested in viewing all types of data, but were particularly keen to access video and audio recordings for censoring purposes (i.e., to delete data segments). Taken together, our results indicate generally positive attitudes to remote in-home monitoring technologies and studies for infant research but highlight specific considerations such as safety, privacy and family practicalities (e.g. multiple caregivers, visitors and varying schedules) that must be taken into account when developing future studies.

Interpersonal Narrative Exposure Therapy: Integration of NET with attachment-based therapies

This article outlines the main premises of a phased NET-based protocol to treat traumatic attachments named Interpersonal Narrative Exposure Therapy. The protocol integrates the standard protocol with attachment-based therapies to propose a three-phased model of in-tervention where the stabilization phase is integrated and progresses in parallel with the work on traumatic memories. The protocol focuses on the intersubjective stance between the client and the therapist during the stabilization with an attention to non verbal communi-cation exchanges and moment of ruptures and repairs. The protocol put together a struc-tured work on the therapeutic alliance - based on attachment theory and the infant research paradigm - to support the patient in the relationship domain defensive attitudes and the re-integration of traumatic memories through the standard NET protocol.