Applying gaze-contingent training within community settings to infants from diverse SES backgrounds

• Published in: Journal of applied developmental psychology Vol. 43; pp. 8 - 17
• Main Authors: Ballieux, Haiko, Wass, Sam V., Tomalski, Przemyslaw, Kushnerenko, Elena, Karmiloff-Smith, Annette, Johnson, Mark H., Moore, Derek G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01-03-2016
• Subjects: Attention training; Cognitive training; Community settings; Early development; Infant; Socioeconomic status; Community settings; Infant; Cognitive training; Socioeconomic status; Attention training; Early development
• ISSN: 0193-3973; 1873-7900
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.005

Even in infancy children from low-SES backgrounds differ in frontal cortex functioning and, by the start of pre-school, 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.
•We attempted to train executive functions (EFs) during infancy.•Training was run in early intervention centres in the community.•Transfer of training improvements was found in a number of tasks.•Children from low-SES backgrounds showed lower EFs early in childhood.•Further investigations are warranted.