Toddler Child Joint Attention To Social Competence Prediction - Perspective Social Motivation

Joint attention involved the triadic coordination of attention between self, other, and some third object, event. Review the predecessors of advances, joint attention were summarized into three dimensions:Sharing joint attention (SJA), Instrumental joint attention (IJA), Responding joint attention (RJA). It was a milestone of infant early development, played an important role in predicting the social development. Some research had demonstrated the relationship between joint attention and social competence, the study would have in-depth discussion about the relationship after controlling the individual differences of social competence.55infants aged14months were participated in the study. The non-verbal communication program was used for testing joint attention, also the infants’social competence (aged14months and24months) were measured.Results were as follows:(1). Joint attention couldn’t predict mastering motivation, Because joint attention reflected the abilities about the relationship with others, but mastering motivation were focusing on individual ability.(2) Low-IJA could significantly predict imitation in24months after controlling the imitation in14months, the reason was that IJA reflected the will to keep contact, infants could keep social maintaining by imitation.(3) Low-S JA significantly predicted prosocial peer relationships in24months. SJA refered to the conveyance of positive affect, SJA reflected seeking and liking in social motivation, could promote the development of prosocial peer relationships.So, we can concluded the specific dimension in joint attention could predict the social competence in24months after controlling the scores in14months, Also the relationship could be explained by social motivation.