Changes in behaviour and salivary cortisol following targeted cognitive training in typical 12-month-old infants

Article

Wass, S., Cook, Clare and Clackson, Kaili 2017. Changes in behaviour and salivary cortisol following targeted cognitive training in typical 12-month-old infants. Developmental Psychology. 53 (5), pp. 815-825. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000266
AuthorsWass, S., Cook, Clare and Clackson, Kaili
Abstract

Previous research has suggested that early development may be an optimal period to implement cognitive training interventions, particularly those relating to attention control, a basic ability that is essential for the development of other cognitive skills. In the present study, we administered gaze-contingent training (95 minutes across 2 weeks) targeted at voluntary attention control to a cohort of typical 12-month-old children (N = 24) and sham training to a control group (N = 24). We assessed training effects on (a) tasks involving non-trained aspects of attention control: visual sustained attention, habituation speed, visual recognition memory, sequence learning and reversal learning; (b) general attentiveness (on-task behaviours during testing) and (c) salivary cortisol levels. Assessments were administered immediately following the cessation of training and at a 6-week follow-up. On the immediate post-test infants showed significantly more sustained visual attention, faster habituation and improved sequence learning. Significant effects were also found for increased general attentiveness and decreased salivary cortisol. Some of these effects were still evident at the 6-week follow-up (significantly improved sequence learning and marginally improved […] sustained attention). These findings extend the emerging literature showing that attention training is possible in infancy.

KeywordsInfancy; attention; cognitive training
JournalDevelopmental Psychology
Journal citation53 (5), pp. 815-825
ISSN0012-1649
1939-0599
Year2017
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association
Accepted author manuscript
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000266
Publication dates
PrintMay 2017
Publication process dates
Deposited18 May 2017
Accepted27 Oct 2016
FunderBritish Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
Economic and Social Research Council
Copyright information©American Psychological Association, 2017. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000266
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