POSTURE AND ATTENTION IN 5-MONTH-OLD INFANTS AT HOME

Links between posture and sustained attention were investigated in 5-m onth-old infants observed in home settings during free activity. Two p redictions were tested. First, sustained attention on objects should b e more frequent when infants are sitting than when they are lying supi ne. Second, physical contact between mother and infant should support visual attention. Because inter-individual variations are wide concern ing postures as well as activities, three groups of subjects were form ed, each homogeneous on those two parameters. Results show that attent ion is sustained the most not in a given posture per se, but in the po sture usually preferred by the infants. The consequences of such findi ngs for experimentation are discussed.