Progress 10/01/92 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Results from this project were presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, the International Society for Develolpmental Psychobiology, at a special meeting sponsored by Autism Speaks on Characterizing Cognition in Nonverbal Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and to the State University of New York at Oswego. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The results from this project demonstrated the feasibility of a technique (steady state visual evoked potentials) for measuring rapid changes in attention from brain activity recorded from very young infants. The results also contributed to our understanding of how attention is linked to motor activity during early infancy and how individual differences in movement-attention coupling are related to differences in adaptive cognitive processes such as the detection of changes in the environment.
Publications
- Robertson SS, Johnson SL, Masnick AM, Weiss SL. (2007). Robust coupling of body movement and gaze in young infants. Developmental Psychobiology, 49: 208-215..
- Watamura SE, Ahern E, Robertson SS. (2008). Cortisol patterns at home and child care: Afternoon differences and evening recovery in children attending very high quality full-day center-based child care. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, in press.
- Robertson SS, Johnson SL. (2008). Embodied infant attention. Developmental Science, in press.
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Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07
Outputs
(1) Visually evoked electrical activity in the brain is being used to measure the timing of shifts of attention in infants in relation to gaze shifts and fluctuations in body movement. (2) Follow-up studies are continuing to determine the relation between movement-attention coupling in early infancy and attention problems during childhood. (3) New experiments have been carried out to study the relation between body movement and the conscious control of attention in preschool children. (4) Dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University).
Impacts
Results of these experiments will advance our basic understanding of the links between thought and action in infancy and their role in the development of attention problems in childhood.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
(1) Visually evoked electrical activity in the brain is being used to measure the timing of shifts of attention in infants in relation to gaze shifts and fluctuations in body movement. (2) Follow-up studies are continuing to determine the relation between movement-attention coupling in early infancy and attention problems during childhood. (3) New experiments have been carried out to study the relation between body movement and the conscious control of attention in preschool children. (4) Dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University).
Impacts
Results of these experiments will advance our basic understanding of the links between thought and action in infancy and their role in the development of attention problems in childhood.
Publications
- Robertson SS, Johnson SL, Masnick AM, Weiss SL. 2006. Perturbation and coupling of body movement and gaze three months after birth. Developmental Psychobiology, 48: 624.
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
(1) Visually evoked electrical activity in the brain is being used to measure the timing of shifts of attention in infants in relation to gaze shifts and fluctuations in body movement. (2) Follow-up studies are continuing to determine the relation between movement-attention coupling in early infancy and attention problems during childhood. (3) New experiments have been carried out to study the relation between body movement and the conscious control of attention in preschool children. (4) Dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University).
Impacts
Results of these experiments will advance our basic understanding of the links between thought and action in infancy and their role in the development of attention problems in childhood.
Publications
- Friedman AH, Watamura SE, Robertson SS. 2005. Movement-attention coupling in infancy and attention problems in childhood. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 47: 660-665.
- Robertson SS, Watamura SE, Muenke JS, Gooch MR, Kleiman LG. 2005. Moving, attending, and looking: Steady state visual evoked potentials reveal the sequence in young infants. Developmental Psychobiology, 47: 445.
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
New experiments have been carried out to test the hypotheses that intrinsic fluctuations in motor activation influence the interruptibility of attention and the processing of visual information in young infants. (2) Follow-up studies are continuing to determine the relation between movement-attention coupling in early infancy and attention problems during childhood. (3) Visually evoked electrical activity in the brain is being used to measure the timing of shifts of attention in infants. (4) New experiments are being designed to study the relation between body movement and the conscious control of attention. (5) Dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University) to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action.
Impacts
This program of research addresses basic questions about how spontaneous mental and physical activity are bound together on short time scales to produce adaptive functioning during early postnatal life. The resulting knowledge will increase our understanding of normal development and developmental disorders involving behavior and attention.
Publications
- Robertson, S., Guckenheimer, J., Bacher, L., Masnick, A. The dynamics of infant visual foraging. Developmental Science, 2004, 7: 194-200.
- Friedman, A., Watamura, S., Robertson, S. Movement-attention coupling in infancy and attention problems in childhood. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 2005(in press).
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
New experiments have been carried out to test the hypotheses that intrinsic fluctuations in motor activation influence the interruptibility of attention and the processing of visual information in young infants. (2) Follow-up studies have been conducted to determine the relation between movement-attention coupling in early infancy and attention problems during childhood. (3) New techniques have been developed to use visually evoked electrical activity in the brain to measure the timing of shifts of attention. (4) Dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University) to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Future experiments with infants will test predictions generated by the models. (5) A collaboration with L. Dierker (School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University) to study fetal development in diabetic pregnancies continued.
Impacts
This program of research addresses basic questions about how spontaneous mental and physical activity are bound together on short time scales to produce adaptive functioning during early postnatal life. The resulting knowledge will increase our understanding of normal development and developmental disorders involving behavior and attention.
Publications
- Robertson, S., Dierker, L. 2003. Fetal cyclic motor activity in diabetic pregnancies: Sensitivity to maternal blood glucose. Developmental Psychobiology, 42: 9-16.
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
(1) New experiments have been carried out to test the hypotheses that intrinsic fluctuations in motor activation influence the interruptibility of attention and the processing of visual information in young infants. (2) Follow-up studies have been initiated to determine the relation between movement-attention coupling in early infancy and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders during childhood. (3) New techniques are being developed to use visually evoked electrical activity in the brain to measure the timing of shifts of attention. Pilot studies with adults are in progress. (4) Dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Future experiments with infants will test predictions generated by the models. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal and newborn
behavioral patterns in non-human animals done in collaboration with L. Bacher (Psychology, SUNY Oswego) and W. Smotherman (Psychology, University of Massachusetts).
Impacts
This program of research addresses basic questions about how spontaneous mental and physical activity are bound together on short time scales to produce adaptive functioning during early postnatal life. The resulting knowledge will increase our understanding of normal development and developmental disorders involving behavior and attention.
Publications
- Bacher, L., Smotherman, W., Robertson, S. 2001. Effects of warmth on newborn rats' motor activity and oral responsiveness to an artificial nipple. Behavioral Neuroscience, 115: 675-682.
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Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
Based on the previous results from this research program, new experiments have been carried out to test the hypotheses that intrinsic fluctuations in motor activation influence the interruptibility of attention and the processing of visual information. In addition, dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Relatively simple models can account for much of the data if they possess a few key properties, such as asymmetry and hysteresis. Future experiments with infants will test these predictions. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal behavioral patterns in non-human animals done in collaboration with L. Bacher, (Psychology, SUNY Oswego), P. Nathanielsz (School of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University) and W. Smotherman (Psychology, University
of Massachusetts).
Impacts
This program of research addresses basic questions about how spontaneous mental and physical activity are bound together on short time scales to produce adaptive functioning during early postnatal life. The resulting knowledge will increase our understanding of normal development and developmental disorders involving behavior and attention.
Publications
- Robertson, S., Bacher, L., Huntington, N. Lalley. 2001. The integration of body movement and attention in young infants. Psychol. Sci. 12: 523-526.
- Bacher, L., Robertson, S. 2001. Stability of coupled fluctuations in movement and visual attention in infants. Dev. Psychobiol. 39: 99-106.
- Robertson, S. , Bacher, L., Huntington, N.L. 2001. Structure and irregularity in the spontaneous behavior of young infants. Behav. Neurosci. 115: 758-763.
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Progress 01/01/00 to 12/31/00
Outputs
Based on the previous results from this research program, new experiments have been carried out to test the hypotheses that intrinsic fluctuations in motor activation influence the interruptibility of attention and the processing of visual information. In addition, dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Relatively simple models can account for much of the data if they possess a few key properties, such as asymmetry and hysteresis. Future experiments with infants will test these predictions. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal behavioral patterns in non-human animals done in collaboration with L. Bacher, (Psychology, Binghamton University), P. Nathanielsz (School of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University) and W. Smotherman (Psychology,
University of Massachusetts).
Impacts
This program of research addresses basic questions about how spontaneous mental and physical activity are bound together on short time scales to produce adaptive functioning during early postnatal life. The resulting knowledge will increase our understanding of normal development and developmental disorders involving behavior and attention.
Publications
- Bacher, L., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W. 2000. Effects of warmth on newborn rats' motor activity and oral responsiveness to an artificial nipple. Behavioral Neuroscience, in press.
- Bacher, L., Robertson, S. Stability of coupled fluctuations in movement and visual attention in infants. 2000. Developmental Psychobiology, in press.
- Robertson, S., Bacher, L., Huntington, N. Lalley. 2000. The integration of body movement and attention in young infants. Psychological Science, in press.
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Progress 10/01/98 to 09/30/99
Outputs
Based on previous results from this program of research, new experiments are currently being carried out to test the hypotheses that intrinsic fluctuations in motor activation influence the interruptibility of attention and the processing of visual information. In addition, dynamical models of infant visual attention are being studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Relatively simple models can account for much of the data if they possess a few key properties, such as asymmetry and hysteresis. Future experiments with infants will test these predictions. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal behavioral patterns in non-human animals done in collaboration with P. Nathanielsz (School of Veterinary Medicine) and W. Smotherman (Psychology, Binghamton University).
Impacts
This program of research addresses basic questions about how spontaneous mental and physical activity are bound together on short time scales to produce adaptive functioning during early postnatal life. The resulting knowledge will increase our understanding of normal development and developmental disorders involving behavior and attention.
Publications
- Unno, N., Wong, C., Jenkins, S. Wentworth, R., Ding, X., Li, C., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W., Nathanielsz, P. 1999. Blood pressure and heart rate in the ovine fetus: ontogenic changes and effects of fetal adrenalectomy. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 45:H248-H256.
- Bacher, L., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W. 1999. An intrinsic source of behavioral regulation that influences discrete responses to cues important for the initiation of suckling. Behavioral Neuroscience. (in press).
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Progress 01/01/98 to 12/31/98
Outputs
Based on previous results from this program of research, experimental studies of infant attention and motor activity are currently being carried out to test the hypothesis that there are particular movement states during which visual attention is most interruptible. In addition, dynamical models of infant visual attention are being constructed and studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Relatively simple models can account for much of the data if they possess a few key properties, such as asymmetry and hysteresis. Future experiments with infants will test these predictions. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal behavioral patterns in non-human animals done in collaboration with P. Nathanielsz (School of Veterinary Medicine) and W. Smotherman (Psychology, Binghamton University).
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Anderson, C., Mandell, A., Selz, K., Terry, L., Wong, C., Robinson, S., Robertson, S., Nathanielsz, P., Smotherman, W. (1998). Invariant fractal time organization during development in REM sleep. Brain Research. 787: 351-357.
- MacLennan, B., Smotherman, W., Robertson, S. (1998). Variation in motor activity on different time scales and responsiveness to oral stimulation in the rat fetus. Developmental Psychobiology. 33: 125-131.
- Gjerde, K., Robinson, S., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W., Nathanielsz. (1998). Development of motor activity in the fetal sheep. Developmental Psychobiology. 32: 148.
- Unno, N., Wong, C., Jenkins, S. Wentworth, R., Ding, X., Li, C., Hing, W., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W., Nathanielsz, P. (in press, 1998). Fetal arterial blood pressure and heart rate during late gestation in sheep: ontogenic changes and effects of fetal adrenalectomy. American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
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Progress 01/01/97 to 12/31/97
Outputs
Based on previous results from this program of research, experimental studies of infant attention and motor activity are currently being carried out to test the hypothesis that are particular movement states during which visual attention is most interruptible. In addition, dynamical models of infant visual attention are being constructed and studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Relatively simple models can account for much of the data if they possess a few key properties, such as asymmetry and hysteresis. Future experiments with infants will test these predictions. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal behavioral patterns in non-human animals done in collaboration with P. Nathanielsz (School of Veterinary Medicine) and W. Smotherman (Psychology, Binghamton University).
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Reilly, J., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W. Variability in general activity and the expression of complex behavior in the fetal rat (Rattus norvegicus). Behavioral Neuroscience, 1997, 111, 785-791.
- Anderson, C., Mandell, A., Selz, K., Terry L., Wong, C., Robinson, S., Robertson, S., Nathanielsz, P., Smotherman, W. Invariant fractal time organization during development in REM sleep. Brain Research, in
- MacLennan, B., Smotherman, W., Robertson, S. The functional interdependence of bursts and pauses in spontaneous fetal movement. Developmental Psychobiology, iin press.
- Unno, N., Wong, C., Jenkins, S. Wentworth, R., Ding, X., Li, C., Hing, W., Robertson, S., Smotherman, W., Nathanielsz, P. Fetal arterial blood pressure and heart rate during late gestation in sheep: ontogenic changes and effects of fetal a
- Robertson, S., Guckenheimer, J., Bacher, L., Masnick, A. Free looking: modeling the dynamics of infant behavior. Presented to the Society for Research in Child Develpment, April 1997.
- Bacher, L., Robertson, S., Wu, C.C., Reznic, M.E., Gurmankin, G.D. Interaction between spontaneous arm activity and visual attention in the development of reaching. Presented to the Society for Research in Child Development, April 1997.
- MacLennan, B., Smotherman, W., Robertson, S. Variation in motor activity on different time scales determines responsiveness to oral stimulation inthe rat fetus. presented to the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, Octob
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Progress 01/01/96 to 12/30/96
Outputs
Dynamical models of visual attention are being constructed and studied in collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics) in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action. Relatively simple models can account for much of the data if they possess a few key properties, such as asymmetry and hysteresis. Progress in this research program has been facilitated and extended by studies of fetal behavioral patterns in nonhuman animals done in collaboration with P. Nathanielsz (School of Veterinary medicine) and W. Smotherman (Psychology, Binghamton University).
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Reilly, J.L., Robertson, S.S., Smotherman, W.P. Fetal motility and responsiveness to a biologically relevant stimulus. Behavioral Neuroscience, in press.
- Lalley, N., Robertson, S., Reznic, M. Cardiac-somatic coupling during a disrupted social interation. Presented at the International Conference on InfantStudies, April 1996.
- Robertson, S. Dynamic system theory and infant behavior: promise and reality. Presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, April 1996.
- Robertson, S., Guckenheimer, J., Bacher, L., Wood, J., Reilly, J. Free looking: modeling the dynamics of infant behavior. Presented to the International Societyfor Developmental Psychobiology, November 1996.
- Robertson, S., Johnson, S., Bacher, L., Wood, J., Wong, C., Robinson, S., Smotherman, W., Nathanielsz, P. Uterine contractures and fetal motor activity. Developmental Psychobiology, 1996, 29, 667-683.
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Progress 01/01/95 to 12/30/95
Outputs
This research program was designed to address significant gaps in our knowledge of the causes, consequences, and development of behavioral patterns in human infants during the early postnatal period. Longitudinal studies have shown a persistence of fetal motor patterns (documented previously in this research program) through at least the first four postnatal months, with significant reorganization occurring at 2 months. Based on analyses of perturbed and unperturbed behavior, the intrinsic fluctuations in spontaneous motor activity appear to be caused by multiple sources in the motor system (consistent with results from other animals) and their complexity reflects low dimensional structure rather than merely noise. Other experiments in the program have revealed a strong coupling between specific patterns in the fluctuations of motor activity and patterns of visual attention to the physical environment. Social interaction triggers an adaptive shift in the temporal
organization of motor activity and a suppression of very rapid fluctuations. In collaboration with J. Guckenheimer (Center for Applied Mathematics), dynamical models are currently being constructed and tested in an effort to gain deeper insights into the relations between early thought and action hinted at in these data.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/94 to 12/30/94
Outputs
This research program was designed to address significant gaps in our knowledge of the mechanism, development, and adoptive significance of intrinsic cyclic organization of spontaneous motor activity (CM) in human infants. The first study examined the response of CM to perturbations newborn infants. The results were consistent with a multisource model of the underlying mechanism based on animal data. The second study charted the postnatal development of CM longitudinally at monthly intervals from 1 to 4 months, a time when other aspects of neurobehavioral organization undergo widespread changes. Three additional experiments examined how CM regulates infants' interaction with the physical and social environment. The results indicated a strong coupling between changes in activity and visual attention, and a suppression of rapid fluctuations during social stimulation. Analysis of the dynamical properties of CM suggested that the irregularity in CM reflects complex
structure rather that noise. Based on these results, a series of five new studies has been initiated to examine the perceptual-cognitive significance and dynamic properties of CM. Preliminary results with 3 month-olds indicate that the shifting of visual attention in a complex environment is triggered by very specific patterns of change in the ongoing fluctuation of spontaneous motor activity. Other results have confirmed that the complexity of CM is infact, low dimensional.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
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Progress 01/01/93 to 12/30/93
Outputs
Two studies were originally proposed (as part of a larger research program) to address significant gaps in our knowledge of the cyclic organization of spontaneous motor activity (CM) in human infants. The first study examined the response of CM to perturbations induced by a brief sound pulse during active sleep in 31 newborn infants 1-3 days after birth. The results were consistent with a multisource model of the underlying mechanism based on animal data. The second study charted the postnatal development of CM longitudinally at monthly intervals from 1 to 4 months, a time when other aspects of neurobehavioral organization undergo widespread changes. The data revealed that CM, which emerges in the fetus, does not disappear in the first 4 months after birth. Properties of CM linked to the rate of oscillation are remarkably stable, while the strength of awake CM decreases as less predictable fluctuations emerge between 1 and 2 months after birth. Additional experiments
examined how CM regulates infants' interaction with the physical and social environment. The results indicate a strong coupling between changes in activity and visual attention, and a suppression of rapid fluctuations during social stimulation. Analysis of the dynamical properties of CM suggest that the irregularity in CM reflects complex structure rather than noise. Based on these results, a series of five new studies has been initiated to examine the perceptual-cognitive significance and dynamic properties of CM infants.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- ROBERTSON, S. 1993. Oscillation and complexity in early infant behavior. Child Development. 64:1022-1035.
- ROBERTSON, S. 1993. Probing the mechanism of oscillations in newborn motor activity. Developmental Psychology. 29:677-685.
- ROBERTSON, S, COHEN, A., MAYER-KRESS, G. 1993. Behavioral chaos: Beyond the metaphor. In L. Smith and E. Thelen (Eds.), Dynamic Systems and Development: Applications. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- LALLEY, N. M. 1993. Capturing cyclic motility with rhythmic stimulation. Presented to the Society for Research in Child Development, March.
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Progress 01/01/92 to 12/30/92
Outputs
A series of studies have addressed significant gaps in our knowledge of the cyclic organization of spontaneous motor activity (CM) in human infants. The first study examined the response of CM to perturbation in 31 newborn infants 1-3 days after birth. The perturbation induced a relative slowing of CM but did not affect its strength, which is consistent with a multisource model of the underlying mechanism based on animal data. The second study charted the postnatal development of CM longitudinally at monthly intervals from 1 to 4 months, a time when other aspects of neurobehavioral organization undergo widespread changes. CM, which emerges in the fetus, does not disappear in the first 4 months after birth. Properties of CM linked to the frequency of oscillation (rate, irregularity) are remarkably stable, while the strength of awake CM decreases abruptly between 1 and 2 months as more rapid and complex fluctuations emerge. These studies have resulted in two new
experiments which examine how CM regulates the infants interaction with its physical and social environment. The results indicate a strong coupling between changes in activity and visual attention, and a suppression of rapid fluctuations during social stimulation. Finally, analysis of the dynamical properties of CM have been completed which suggests that the irregularity inherent in CM reflects complex structure rather than noise.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- ROBERTSON, S. and BACHER, L. 1992. Coupling of spontaneous movement and visual attention in infants. (Presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, May, 1992.) Inf Beh Dev. 15:657.
- ROBERTSON, S., KLUGEWICZ, D. and LALLEY, N. 1992. Fetal cyclic motor activity; Sensitivity to maternal glucose metabolism. (Presented at the International Conference on Infant StUdies. May, 1992.) Inf Beh Dev. 15:658.
- ROBERTSON, S., COHEN, A. and MAYER-KRESS, G. 1993. Behavioral chaos: Beyond the metaphor. In E. Thelen and L. Smith (Eds.) Dynamical Systems in Development. Cambridge, Ma: MIT Press. in-press.
- ROBERTSON, S. 1993. Probing the mechanism of oscillations in newborn motor activity. Developmental Psychology. in-press.
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