Open this publication in new window or tab >>Show others...
2025 (English)In: Psychological Science, ISSN 0956-7976, E-ISSN 1467-9280, Vol. 36, no 4, p. 296-307Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Gaze following in infancy allows triadic social interactions and a comprehension of other individuals and their surroundings. Despite its importance for early development, its ontology is debated, with theories suggesting that gaze following is either a universal core capacity or an experience-dependent learned behavior. A critical test of these theories among 809 nine-month-olds from Africa (Uganda and Zimbabwe), Europe (Sweden), and Asia (Bhutan) demonstrated that infants follow gaze to a similar degree regardless of environmental factors such as culture, maternal well-being (postpartum depression, well-being), or traumatic family events (related to war and/or climate change). These findings suggest that gaze following may be a universal, experience-expectant process that is resilient to adversity and similar across a wide range of human experiences-a core foundation for social development.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2025
Keywords
infant, eye tracking, social cognition
National Category
Psychology (Excluding Applied Psychology)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-556001 (URN)10.1177/09567976251331042 (DOI)001472762000001 ()40257809 (PubMedID)
Funder
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, KAW 2012.0120Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, KAW 2017.0284
2025-05-092025-05-092025-05-09Bibliographically approved