---
_id: '17220'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Pointing, like eye gaze, is a deictic gesture that can be used to orient the
    attention of another person towards an object or an event. Previous research suggests
    that infants first begin to follow a pointing gesture between 10 and 13 months
    of age. We investigated whether sensitivity to pointing could be seen at younger
    ages employing a technique recently used to show early sensitivity to perceived
    eye gaze. Three experiments were conducted with 4.5- and 6.5-month-old infants.
    Our first goal was to examine whether these infants could show a systematic response
    to pointing by shifting their visual attention in the direction of a pointing
    gesture when we eliminated the difficulty of disengaging fixation from a pointing
    hand. The results from Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that a dynamic, but not a static,
    pointing gesture triggers shifts of visual attention in infants as young as 4.5
    months of age. Our second goal was to clarify whether this response was based
    on sensitivity to the directional posture of the pointing hand, the motion of
    the pointing hand, or both. The results from Experiment 3 suggest that the direction
    of motion is necessary but not sufficient to orient infants’ attention toward
    a distal target. Infants shifted their attention in the direction of the pointing
    finger, but only when the hand was moving in the same direction. These results
    suggest that infants are prepared to orient to the distal referent of a pointing
    gesture which likely contributes to their learning the communicative function
    of pointing.
author:
- first_name: Katharina
  full_name: Rohlfing, Katharina
  id: '50352'
  last_name: Rohlfing
- first_name: Matthew R.
  full_name: Longo, Matthew R.
  last_name: Longo
- first_name: Bennett I.
  full_name: Bertenthal, Bennett I.
  last_name: Bertenthal
citation:
  ama: Rohlfing K, Longo MR, Bertenthal BI. Dynamic pointing triggers shifts of visual
    attention in young infants. <i>Developmental Science</i>. 2012;15(3):426-435.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x">10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x</a>
  apa: Rohlfing, K., Longo, M. R., &#38; Bertenthal, B. I. (2012). Dynamic pointing
    triggers shifts of visual attention in young infants. <i>Developmental Science</i>,
    <i>15</i>(3), 426–435. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x">https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x</a>
  bibtex: '@article{Rohlfing_Longo_Bertenthal_2012, title={Dynamic pointing triggers
    shifts of visual attention in young infants}, volume={15}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x">10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x</a>},
    number={3}, journal={Developmental Science}, publisher={Wiley-Blackwell}, author={Rohlfing,
    Katharina and Longo, Matthew R. and Bertenthal, Bennett I.}, year={2012}, pages={426–435}
    }'
  chicago: 'Rohlfing, Katharina, Matthew R. Longo, and Bennett I. Bertenthal. “Dynamic
    Pointing Triggers Shifts of Visual Attention in Young Infants.” <i>Developmental
    Science</i> 15, no. 3 (2012): 426–35. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x">https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x</a>.'
  ieee: 'K. Rohlfing, M. R. Longo, and B. I. Bertenthal, “Dynamic pointing triggers
    shifts of visual attention in young infants,” <i>Developmental Science</i>, vol.
    15, no. 3, pp. 426–435, 2012, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x">10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x</a>.'
  mla: Rohlfing, Katharina, et al. “Dynamic Pointing Triggers Shifts of Visual Attention
    in Young Infants.” <i>Developmental Science</i>, vol. 15, no. 3, Wiley-Blackwell,
    2012, pp. 426–35, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x">10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x</a>.
  short: K. Rohlfing, M.R. Longo, B.I. Bertenthal, Developmental Science 15 (2012)
    426–435.
date_created: 2020-06-24T13:01:42Z
date_updated: 2023-02-01T16:20:15Z
department:
- _id: '749'
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01139.x
intvolume: '        15'
issue: '3'
language:
- iso: eng
page: 426-435
publication: Developmental Science
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 1363-755X
publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
status: public
title: Dynamic pointing triggers shifts of visual attention in young infants
type: journal_article
user_id: '14931'
volume: 15
year: '2012'
...