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Joint Attention in Human and Chimpanzee Infants in Varied Socio-Ecological Contexts

By Monograph MattersMarch 30, 2022All Issues

Joint Attention in Human and Chimpanzee Infants in Varied Socio-Ecological Contexts

Volume 86, Issue 4, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development

By Kim A. Bard, Heidi Keller, Kirsty M. Ross, Barry Hewlett, Lauren Butler, Sarah T. Boysen, and Tetsuro Matsuzawa

Included in this issue:

  • Abstract
  • About the Authors
  • Commentaries
  • Videos
  • Teaching and Research Resources

Abstract

Joint attention (infants engaging with a partner about a shared topic) is thought by developmental theorists to foster children’s understanding of others’ minds, and by evolutionary theorists to mark human-unique social cognition. However, most investigators prioritize those behavioral forms found in western, middle-class, mother-infant pairs. In their monograph, Kim Bard and colleagues decolonize the study of joint attention by using culturally inclusive definitions (joint engagement [JE]); studying samples of human (n=30) and chimpanzee (n=21) infants from diverse settings (farming communities in Cameroon, foraging communities in Central African Republic and Tanzania, and urban communities in Japan, England, & US); and conducting naturalistic observations in everyday contexts (video-recordings made between 1993 and 2010). Data showed JE occurring frequently in all infants (supporting normativity), revealed substantial within species variation in behavioral forms (supporting contextualization), and offered no evidence of human-uniqueness. Authors argue for rebuilding developmental and evolutionary theories of social cognition on culturally inclusive foundations.  

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About the Authors


Kim A. Bard
Kim A. Bard
University of Portsmouth, UK
Heidi Keller
Heidi Keller
Osnabrück University and Nevet Greenhouse, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Kirsty Ross
Kirsty Ross
University of Winchester
Barry S. Hewlett
Barry S. Hewlett
Washington State University, Vancouver
Lauren Butler
Lauren Butler
NHS
Sarah Till Boysen
Sarah Till Boysen
Comparative Cognition Project, Sunbury OH
Tetsuro Matsuzawa
Tetsuro Matsuzawa
California Institute of Technology

Commentaries


Joint Engagement as a Triadic State and Joint Attention as an Infant Skill Shared by Humans and Chimpanzees by Roger Bakeman and Katharine Suma

Joint Attention in Children and Chimps: Questions of Uniqueness, Universality, Plasticity, and the Evolution of Human Sociality by David F. Bjorklund

Sociocultural Context and Methodological Pluralism Matter for all Developmental Science by Thomas S. Weisner

Videos


Five Problems with Evolutionary and Developmental Theories of Social Cognition
SRCD Monograph author Kim Bard presents five problems underpinning evolutionary and developmental theories of social cognition.

Positive Change for Theories of Social Cognition
SRCD Monograph author Kim Bard and her co-authors propose four steps toward achieving positive change in theories of social cognition: decolonize, use new design, focus on inclusivity, and revise theories.

Origins of Research on Comparative and Cross-Cultural Joint Attention
How can varied interests in human development, anthropology, and primatology be blended to create a new research topic?

Decolonizing the Study of Joint Attention
What does it mean to decolonize the study of joint attention, and how can it be done?

Developmental Importance of Joint Attention and Cross-Cultural Variation
Why is joint attention important for child development, and how does it vary across cultures?

Implications of an Inclusive Approach to Joint Attention
What are the implications of studying joint attention inclusively, across cultures and across species?

Teaching and Research Resources


Five Steps to Decolonizing the
Study of Joint Attention

Download the PowerPoint

Viewing Joint
Attention Inclusively

Download the PowerPoint

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comparative psychologycross-cultural psychologydecolonizing psychologyIssue 86.4joint attentiontriadic engagement

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