The ability to recognize faces is something we often take for granted, however, this process is highly specialized in the brain and develops at an early age in infants. In “Face-sensitive brain responses in the first year of life,” Conte et al. found that this specificity for facial recognition is observed in the ventral visual pathway begins to develop at just 3 months of age and continues to develop throughout an infant’s first year. This specialization is required to differentiate facial stimuli from various other non-facial stimuli. There is also an effect of attentional state with regard to the differentiation of neural responses to faces and objects as observed in infants. The level of activation of these neural regions specialized for facial recognition relates to the level of attention of an infant, which influences the differential encoding of faces and other objects.
I found this relationship between attentional state and activation of neural regions specialized for face recognition to be fascinating, especially with regard to early development in infants. I was particularly interested in how this phenomena relates to the growing usage of digital media in young children and how this may affect the development of facial recognition brain regions and cognitive development. In “Screen time and young children: Promoting health and development in a digital world,” Ponti et al. discuss the relationship between screen time and the psychosocial development of infants and children. At ages as early as 6 months of age, infants have the ability to focus on a screen and imitate specific actions which they observe. However, evidence shows that infants and toddlers have difficulty in associating 2D representations into 3D objects. They would benefit much more from face-to-face learning, rather than increased digital screen exposure. The growing digital media consumption in infants and children can have lifelong effects on attention span, cognitive development, and psychosocial development. While in excess, screen time can be detrimental to cognitive development, there is still some evidence that suggests that it can still be used as a learning tool in children above the age of 2, especially when utilizing an interactive touch-screen interface. Although, researchers still suggest a minimization of screen time in children and adults, as to encourage face-to-face interactions and promote healthy psychosocial development.
The intersection of these studies can have profound implications, especially on the next generation of children which were raised within this current pandemic-era. The usage of masks, increased screen times, and limited face-to-face contact can have detrimental outcomes on the cognitive development of children, particularly those below the age of 2 years. As stated previously, a differential activation of face-specific neural regions can be observed in infants from the ages of 3 months- 1 year (Conte 2020). If children within this early developmental window are increasingly being exposed to digital media, this could have lifelong psychosocial implications which may not be easily overcome later in life. Specifically, this could result in increased irritability, aggression, and anti-social behaviors. These psychosocial deficits are much more difficult to overcome in later stages of cognitive development and is would be wiser to be act proactively against this, rather than when it is too late (Ponti 2017). While it is very important to continue to wear masks and socially distance, there needs to be an emphasis placed on face-to-face interactions and limiting screen time for the children growing up in these unprecedented times. These practices will ensure healthy cognitive and psychosocial development, which will benefit the public health of the next generation long after this pandemic is over.
Conte, S., Richards, J. E., Guy, M. W., Xie, W., & Roberts, J. E. (2020). Face-sensitive brain responses in the first year of life. NeuroImage, 211, 116602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116602
Ponti, M., Bélanger, S., Grimes, R., Heard, J., Johnson, M., Moreau, E., Norris, M., Shaw, A., Stanwick, R., Van Lankveld, J., & Williams, R. (2017). Screen Time and young children: Promoting health and development in a Digital World. Paediatrics & Child Health, 22(8), 461–468. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxx123
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