Infants with Bling Parents pay less attention to Eyes

Researches have found new insite into nonverbal communication from an unlikely source: the sighted children of blind parents. Nonverbal communication is constantly being used, which raises the question, how do infants learn to communicate through eye contact. It was found that infants of blind parents paid less attention of adult eye gaze which suggests that infants are actively learning from communicating with their parents and constantly readjust how to best interact with others. Eye gaze is importance channel for communication, and infants show an amazing ability to recognize and react to adult gaze. Researchers used eye tracking technology to assess facial scanning and gaze following in 14 sighted infants of blind parents at 6 to 10 months  and again at 12-16 month. The infants were also watched as they interacted with  their blind parent and an unfamiliar sighted adult. In comparison to the infants with sighted parents, infants whose parents were blind paid less attention to adult eyes, all the infants were typical in their development and in some ways they even excelled. The infants of blind parents showed advanced visual attention and memory skills at 8 months old, its possible that the need to switch communication modes boost infants early development of visual attention and memory.

Cell Press. (2015, November 19). Infants with blind parents pay less attention to eyes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 28, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151119133224.htm