Joint visual attention and pointing in infancy: A longitudinal study of comprehension

The aim of this study was to examine three questions about the infant capabilities of establishing joint visual attention (***JVA) and of understanding pointing: when are infants able to look in the general direction indicated by their mother (Ability 1)? When are they able to look precisely at the indicated target (Ability 2)? Is there a fixed sequence in the acquisition of these abilities between JVA and pointing? Twenty‐four babies were seen longitudinally every three months between the age of 6 and 18 months. They were submitted to two conditions in which their mother either only gazed (JVA condition) or gazed and pointed (pointing condition) at four identical targets, some being close to the mother and some at a greater distance. The results for JVA showed that Ability 1 was present at 12 months and Ability 2 at 15 months when the targets were close and at 18 months when they were away. The results for pointing showed that both abilities were present at 15 months (only the distant targets being considered). Within‐subjects analyses did not reveal a clear order of acquisition between JVA and pointing, but there was a correlation in Ability 2 between the two tasks. Implications for the existence of a single cognitive system underlying the comprehension of the two referential messages are discussed.