Infant Behavior & Development最新文献

{"title":"Continuity, discontinuity, and atypicality in early language acquisition","authors":"Tadashi Koyama","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102102","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102102","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Continuity and discontinuity during the development from infancy to later stages are central themes in developmental psychology. These concepts are particularly important for understanding and supporting language development in children with atypical language development. This review aimed to clarify future research issues on the early language acquisition process up to 36 months of age from the viewpoint of developmental continuity and discontinuity in early language acquisition. Recent studies on early language development support the concepts of both continuity and discontinuity, particularly in the relationship between early gestural development and later language acquisition, as well as in predicting delayed speech in children. However, focusing on 24 months of age, when the development of syntax typically begins, several studies have reported relationships between developmental domains such as gross motor and language. It is necessary to examine continuity and discontinuity in the early language acquisition process from an interdisciplinary perspective. Furthermore, it is important to consider both the speeding up and slowing down aspects of developmental trajectories in early language acquisition. Research on the language acquisition of late bloomers is important from the viewpoint of continuity and discontinuity from the prelinguistic period, domain relevance, and speed in cognitive development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102102"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperament development in infancy: What we have learned about the origins of individual differences in the past 25 years","authors":"Maria A. Gartstein,&nbsp;Marco A. Ramirez Gonzalez","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The goal of this review article is to provide an overview of the last quarter century of infant temperament research. Beginning with a brief description of theoretical underpinnings, we focus on studies addressing early beginnings of reactivity and self-regulation. After the most widely accepted framework used to conceptualize temperament has been defined, the next section examines various methodologies for measuring temperament in the past 25 years. We then focus on work that aims to describe developmental changes and progression of temperament development. The following sections consider individual and contextual contributing factors, such as infant sex and cultural influences. Finally, we review infant temperament as a predictor of important child outcomes, focusing on behavior problems/symptoms. Overall, the past 25 years temperament research has increased our understanding of important developmental changes in different domains of reactivity and regulation, emphasizing biological underpinnings, such as underlying brain activity, as well as contributing factors (e.g., genetic/epigenetic contributions). The review ends with a discussion of remaining gaps in research and recommendations for future research, such as the need to harmonize datasets across laboratories to leverage latest quantitative methods resulting in reproducible science.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102101"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144366138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infant frontal EEG asymmetry across an emotion-eliciting task: Leveraging novel quantitative approaches to discern links with parent-child interactions","authors":"Joshua J. Underwood,&nbsp;Mackenzie.B. Murphy,&nbsp;Maria A. Gartstein","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102111","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102111","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interest in the impact of parent-child interactions on infant electroencephalography (EEG) has steadily grown, yet research is still relatively limited. Additionally, studies often rely on averages computed across trials or isolated segments, and do not examine infants’ neurophysiological responses to longer naturalistic emotion-eliciting situations. Mothers with infants (n = 106, boys = 59) 6–12 months of age were recruited with the goal of examining the effect of parent-child interactions on infant CNS response in the context of repeated trials of the Still Face Paradigm (SFP; Haley &amp; Stansbury, 2003). First, latent growth models (LGM) were estimated to examine infant EEG asymmetry across five trials of the repeated SFP, considering parent-child interaction predictors and controlling for relevant covariates. Second, latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to examine groupings of frontal asymmetry trajectories over the course of the task. Overall, a reliable pattern of changes across SFP trials was not observed, however, significant inter-individual variability was noted. Latent profile analysis was thus undertaken, indicating appropriateness of a three-group solution. Because two of the groups demonstrating change were small, these were combined to form a reactive profile. Subsequent analyses demonstrated that infants who experienced more reciprocal play with their caregivers were less likely to display significant frontal asymmetry reactivity to SFP when controlling for infant age and sex, maternal age, and socioeconomic status. This work provides evidence for the utility of LPA in infant EEG research, as well support for the capability model of frontal asymmetry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Emerging neurodivergence in infancy and toddlerhood","authors":"Ming Wai Wan ,&nbsp;Shoba S. Meera ,&nbsp;Meghan R. Swanson","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102133","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102133","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102133"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A quarter century of research on infant contingency learning: Current and future directions","authors":"Kimberly Cuevas ,&nbsp;John Colombo","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although traditional learning paradigms provided a substantial base for the emergence of the field of infant studies from the 1960s through the 1990s, research on contingency (operant) learning in infancy has not attracted much attention over the last 25 years. While the reasons for such neglect are unclear, learning protocols offer valuable contributions to the field of infant studies, spanning basic research, translational work, and application. An examination of the literature over the last quarter century shows operant learning concepts in use with respect to the development of agency, goal blockage reactivity, clinical cross-group comparisons, and developmental interventions. Building upon the foundation that infants are capable of contingency learning, research has explored underlying mechanisms, including coordinated movement dynamics and psychobiological correlates. Methodological innovations—such as novel paradigms and cutting-edge techniques like motion capture, eye-tracking, and computational modeling—have further refined our understanding of these processes. Efforts have also focused on identifying conditions that promote learning and factors contributing to data loss. An overarching question remains whether infants demonstrate agency during contingency learning. Additionally, recent research has shifted from a primarily experimental group approach to considering individual differences in early learning. However, it is unclear whether traditional learning metrics effectively capture nonmonotonic behavioral change and variability in learning patterns. The review offers cogent rationales for reintegrating these paradigms into the field of infant studies, discusses gaps in the literature that should be addressed for this goal to be realized, and proposes future directions for advancing the field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102068"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144123395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® language measures","authors":"Miriam A. Novack ,&nbsp;Elizabeth M. Dworak ,&nbsp;Y. Catherine Han ,&nbsp;Aaron J. Kaat ,&nbsp;Vitali Ustsinovich ,&nbsp;Jenny Saffran ,&nbsp;Michael C. Frank ,&nbsp;Sandra Waxman ,&nbsp;Richard C. Gershon","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102121","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102121","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Language acquisition is a fundamental aspect of infancy and early childhood development. This paper describes the development and validation of the language measures within the NIH Baby Toolbox® (Baby Toolbox), a state-of-the-art assessment system designed for children aged 16 days to 42 months. The Baby Toolbox language domain includes six measures that assess both expressive and receptive language—Looking while Listening, Picture Vocabulary, CDI-CAT Comprehension, CDI-CAT Production, Mullen Receptive, and Mullen Expressive. These measures, offered in both English and Spanish, leverage advanced technologies—such as computerized adaptive testing and gaze-based paradigms—to enhance both the accuracy and accessibility of the assessment. A large-scale norming study (<em>N</em> = 2490 children; 2025 English-exposed, 465 Spanish-exposed) provided strong evidence of reliability and validity, with high test-retest correlations and robust construct validity, although small sample sizes prohibited analyses for some of the Spanish measures. Findings support the Baby Toolbox as a reliable, scalable tool for assessing early language development in diverse populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102121"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144770622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® Executive Function and Memory measures","authors":"Rachel M. Flynn ,&nbsp;Y. Catherine Han ,&nbsp;Aaron J. Kaat ,&nbsp;Maxwell Mansolf ,&nbsp;Elizabeth M. Dworak ,&nbsp;Sarah Pila ,&nbsp;Lihua Yao ,&nbsp;Stephanie M. Carlson ,&nbsp;Lisa M. Oakes ,&nbsp;Richard C. Gershon ,&nbsp;Philip David Zelazo","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102118","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Existing standardized assessments of Executive Function and Memory (EF-Mem) for infants and toddlers tend to be limited in scope, can be burdensome to administer, and/or do not often utilize modern technology. Here, we describe the development and validation of the novel iPad-based EF-Mem measures in the NIH Baby Toolbox® for infants and young children 1–42 months old. English and Spanish versions of gaze-based (Familiarization) and touch-based measures (Mullen Visual Reception, Visual Delayed Response, Delayed Memory Task) were adapted for iPad administration. A nationally representative sample of children (<em>N</em> <em>=</em> 2515 recruited; <em>N</em> <em>=</em> 2448 who completed at least one EF-Mem measure; <em>n</em> = 1993 English, <em>n</em> = 455 Spanish) were administered the Baby Toolbox EF-Mem measures as part of the full battery of Baby Toolbox measures. Most caregivers completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3rd edition (ASQ-3), and separate subsets of children were administered the Bayley Scales for Infant Development 4th Edition (Bayley-4, <em>n</em> = 120 recruited; <em>n</em> = 117 that completed both EF-Mem and the Bayley-4) or were administered the Baby Toolbox battery again 1–14 days later to assess test-retest reliability (<em>n</em> = 220 recruited; <em>n</em> = 187 who completed any EF-Mem measure twice). Measure-level scores showed expected correlations with age for gaze and touch measures. EF-Mem scores showed expected correlations with the Bayley-4 for both gaze and touch, indicating convergent validity, and varied meaningfully based on the ASQ-3 classifications. Test-retest reliability for all measures and empirical reliability of the touch scores were moderate. Automatic coding and scoring, ease of administration, reliability, and validity of Baby Toolbox EF-Mem make these measures valuable for developmental assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144780136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox Social-Emotional Functioning measures","authors":"Courtney K. Blackwell ,&nbsp;Cindy J. Nowinski ,&nbsp;Amy Wetherby ,&nbsp;Jessica A. Sommerville ,&nbsp;Christina Bethell ,&nbsp;Lauren Wakschlag ,&nbsp;Jessica L. Hooker ,&nbsp;Maxwell Mansolf ,&nbsp;Y. Catherine Han ,&nbsp;Elizabeth M. Dworak ,&nbsp;Vitali Ustsinovich ,&nbsp;Aaron J. Kaat ,&nbsp;Richard Gershon","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social-emotional functioning is foundational for children’s healthy development and lifelong well-being. The NIH Toolbox for Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox®) includes social-emotional measures for ages 3 and older, leaving a gap for assessing very young children. The new NIH Baby Toolbox directly addresses this measurement gap through its developmentally sensitive, tablet-based assessments of infant and toddler social-emotional functioning. This paper describes the domain conceptualization, measure selection, and psychometric evaluation of the Baby Toolbox Social-Emotional Functioning measures. Through an expert survey and literature review on conceptual frameworks, definitions, and existing measures, six subdomains were identified: <em>Temperament</em>, <em>Negative Affect</em>, <em>Psychological Well-Being</em>, <em>Self-Regulation</em>, <em>Social Communication</em>, and <em>Social Relationships</em>. Specific measures were selected from existing instruments/paradigms and adapted for iPad administration. They include the Infant, Early Childhood, and Childhood Behavior Questionnaire very short forms; the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Early Childhood Parent Report Anger/Irritability, Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Positive Affect, Flexibility, Frustration Tolerance, Child-Caregiver Interactions, and Peer Relationships; and the newly developed Social Observation Measure and Caregiver Checklist. Social-Emotional Functioning Measures were validated and normed with 2398 US children (n = 2021 English, n = 377 Spanish) aged 3–48 months using classical and modern test theory. Measures had moderate to high internal and test-retest reliability. Small to moderate intradomain correlations suggest each measure captured related, but unique, components; interdomain associations showed subdomains were distinct. Associations with existing measures supported construct validity. Overall, the Baby Toolbox Social-Emotional Functioning assessments provide reliable, valid, and nationally normed assessments for researchers and clinicians to evaluate infant and toddler social-emotional functioning in a practical and meaningful way.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102110"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144713765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Home learning environment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Associations with young children’s cognitive and socioemotional development","authors":"Ana Clara Ventura ,&nbsp;Diana Leyva","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102126","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The home learning environment (HLE) plays a crucial role in children’s early development. Most research on the associations between the quantity and quality of the HLE and infant and toddler development has been conducted with North American and Western European samples. This is a synthesis of studies on HLE that examine associations with cognitive and socioemotional skills across the first 3 years of life in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Studies reviewed were published between 2000 and 2025 and involved ethnically diverse samples. The article identifies key findings and discusses methodological and conceptual limitations in the studies. The article concludes by offering five recommendations and directions for research specifically in the LAC region: 1) emphasize more culturally relevant operationalizations; 2) investigate the interactive effects of the HLE components on young child development; 3) move beyond the frequency of home literacy activities; 4) incorporate the caregiver’s cognition and behavior measures; and 5) explore bidirectional associations between HLE and young children’s development. Expanding research efforts in this area beyond North America and Western Europe will contribute to a more inclusive, diverse, and globally representative infant developmental science.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102126"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early Development in cross-country perspective: A systematic review of a quarter century of developmental research","authors":"Alessandro Carollo ,&nbsp;Dorina Shermadhi ,&nbsp;Gaia Doderovic ,&nbsp;Giada Carrer ,&nbsp;Pietro Pizzo ,&nbsp;Michelle Pederzolli ,&nbsp;Angela Mazzon ,&nbsp;Marc H. Bornstein ,&nbsp;Gianluca Esposito","doi":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102124","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102124","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The first years of life are characterized by rapid developmental changes across multiple domains, including neurobiological maturation, motor skills, socio-emotional characteristics, and cognitive abilities. These developmental processes are, in part, influenced by external factors such as culture and country. For this reason, the predominant contemporary reliance on so-called WEIRD populations poses a significant limitation to the generalizability of developmental theories. For the Special Issue, this review aims to present a cross-country perspective on early development by analyzing literature from the first 25 years of the 21st century published in <em>Infant Behavior and Development</em>. We screened 1768 documents and identified 58 studies that included data from multiple countries. The majority of these studies were authored by researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. In this review, we categorized and discussed the studies into five recurring research domains, which encompass developmental processes: temperament, socio-emotional development, communication and language development, cognitive development, and motor development. The current review documents the growing interest in cross-country research on early development, yet also reveals notable gaps, particularly in studies of cognitive and motor development as well as neurodevelopmental processes. Most studies have focused on the influence of parenting and socialization practices on early development, mainly using cross-sectional data from high-income countries. However, expanding research to encompass a broader range of cultural contexts and developmental domains is essential to advancing the science of infancy. By fostering greater diversity in cultural perspectives, future studies can provide a more comprehensive understanding of how different environments shape early development. This development, in turn, can inform more effective, culturally responsive early childhood care and education practices worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48222,"journal":{"name":"Infant Behavior & Development","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 102124"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}