Do Facial Masks Impact Infants' Joint Attention? A Within-Participant Laboratory Study

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children were repeatedly confronted with people wearing facial masks. Little is known, however, about how this affected young children's interactions with their caregivers. This preregistered experimental within-participants study explored whether facial masks influence young children's initiation and response to joint attention. Using two structured tasks and one free-play task, we measured joint attention episodes in interactions of 12- to 15-month-old Swiss infants with one of their caregivers during the pandemic. In one experimental condition, the caregivers wore a facial mask; in the other, they did not. The results show no significant differences in infants' joint attention between the two conditions. Infants may have interacted with their caregivers wearing facial masks enough previously not to be influenced by masks; alternatively, even with a partially covered face, a person provides enough information via eyes and other body parts that help infants to guide their attention.