10-Month Assessments: SOCIAL-BEHAVIORAL & NEURAL

Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS): The ESCS is a standardized measurement of pre-verbal communication (i.e. gestures and eye gaze) typically exhibited by infants. Your baby will sit in front of you at a table facing a research assistant, who will present various toys to your child and observe his/her responses. Toys presented include spin tops, wind-up toys, and social games. This assessment is videotaped to ensure reliable coding, and lasts between 30 and 40 minutes.

Event-Related Potential (ERP): An ERP is a non-invasive way of measuring brain activity during specific tasks. A lightweight sensor net measures the electricity generated by your child's brain by picking up conductance through his/her scalp. After the sensor net is fitted onto your child's head, s/he will sit on your lap in a quiet, dimly-lit room while s/he watches four pictures presented repeatedly in random order on a computer monitor. These pictures will include two faces (one of yours, one of a stranger's) and two toys (your child's favorite faceless toy and an unfamiliar toy).

ERP is the most commonly-used method for studying brain activiy during infancy, as there are no known or suspected risks to the infant's safety or well-being. Your infant may, however, become fussy when the net is initially placed on his/her head, and may have sticky hair after the net is removed. We work to alleviate these annoyances by having plenty of distracting toys available, as well as a wet washcloth.

Visits Requested: 2; 1 for the ESCS (1 hr) and 1 for the ERP (1.5 hours)

Location: The Infant Vision Lab at UCSD, La Jolla (Applied Physics & Mathematics Bldg, 1st floor)