Abstract

Previous studies demostrated that newborn infants manifest early attentional abilities (Farroni, Simion, Umiltà, Dalla Barba, 1999; Olson e Sherman, 1983; Simion, Valenza, Umiltà, 1994; Slater, 1989). However, there is a lack of descriptive data concerning newborns' performances in behavioral tasks that tap visuospatial orienting and sustained attention. The present paper proposes the use of two well known experimental techniques as behavioural markers of those processes, linked to up-to-date attentional models (Enns, 1990; Cohen, 1972, 1973; Posner e Petersen, 1990; Ruff e Rothbart, 1996). 64 full-term-healthy newborns were tested with an orienting-attention task and 106 full-term-healthy newborns with a sustained-attention task. Descriptive statistical analyses were applied and statistical-mathematical models were elaborated to predict the onset probability of observed behaviours.