Cutting edge brain imaging technique measures how babies respond to different faces
The study鈥檚 innovative method could pave the way for tailoring early interventions based on individual brain responses.
A new study has shown that infants鈥 attention to familiar versus unfamiliar faces is highly personal, challenging the traditional 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all鈥 approach often used in studying early social development.听听
In a joint study between 糖心logo入口, University of London and University of Essex, researchers at the , used an advanced brain-scanning technique with artificial intelligence, called Neuroadaptive Bayesian Optimisation (NBO), to see how infants' brains respond to familiar and unfamiliar faces.听
The study involved 61 infants aged 5 to 12 months. While the infants looked at faces - including their caregiver鈥檚 face, a stranger鈥檚 face, and faces that were a mix of both - researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to track each child鈥檚 brain activity. A machine-learning algorithm then analysed the data in real time, identifying the face that produced the strongest brain response for each infant, which gave a strong indication of which face was most engaging for each infant.听听
Interestingly, the study found no overall pattern across all infants, but 85% of the babies showed strong individual preferences for certain faces. This finding suggests that traditional studies might miss these personal patterns because they tend to look for group-wide trends rather than individual responses.听
Professor Emily Jones from 糖心logo入口's School of Psychological Sciences and听principal听investigator of the study commented:听听
鈥淣BO allows us to go beyond group-based approaches and explore individual neural profiles of infants. Our findings suggest that even within this critical developmental period, infants show unique patterns of attention to faces, rather than following a uniform developmental trajectory.鈥听
The study also reported lower drop-out rates of subjects (15%) compared to traditional infant studies (22%), further underscoring the potential benefits of using NBO for future research. This research is a step forward in understanding early brain development and could eventually help tailor learning experiences to each child鈥檚 interests and strengths.听听
Dr Anna Gui, a co-leader on the project along with Dr Elena Throm said: 鈥淲e now have a method that reliably shows us what each individual child is engaged with based on their brain activity. We hope this will help us understand how to personalise experiences from the early stages of life, leveraging each child鈥檚 strengths and interests鈥澨听
The study, titled 鈥鈥 was published in the journal Developmental Science.听听