Decoding social signals in the infant brain: A look at eye gaze perception.

First, we will discuss behavioral data drawn from three areas that we consider most relevant for the discussion of eye gaze perception in infancy: (1) eye contact detection, (2) gaze following, and (3) joint attention. This section will be followed by a thorough review of findings illuminating the neural basis of eye gaze perception in infancy. This represents the main focus of the chapter and it will build and directly follow up on the behavioral phenomena outlined earlier. The data that will be presented in this section are based on findings obtained by using electroencephalography (EEG)/event-related potential (ERP) methods, which are the neuroimaging methods most commonly used with infants. Note, however, that the fact that most of the neuroimaging work with adults relies on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and that such data are missing with infants, partly limits the conclusions that can be drawn in terms of developmental comparisons between infants and adults especially as far as brain structures are concerned. In closing, we will integrate behavioral and neural findings and look ahead to make suggestions for future work.