Developmental Changes in Visual Responses to Social Interactions

Abstract

Recent evidence demonstrates that a region of the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is selective to visually observed social interactions in adults. In contrast, we know comparatively little about neural responses to social interactions in children. Here, we used fMRI to ask whether the pSTS would be tuned to social interactions in children at all, and if so, how selectivity might differ from adults. This was investigated not only in the pSTS, but also in socially-tuned regions in neighbouring temporal cortex: extrastriate body area (EBA), face-selective STS (STS-F), fusiform face area (FFA), and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ-M).\n\nBoth children and adults showed selectivity to social interaction within right pSTS, while only adults showed selectivity on the left. Adults also showed both more focal and greater selectivity than children (6-12 years) bilaterally. Exploratory sub-group analyses showed that younger children (6-8 years), but not older children (9-12), are less selective than adults on the right, while there was a developmental trend (adults > older > younger) in left pSTS. These results suggest that, over development, the neural response to social interactions is characterized by increasingly more selective, more focal and more bilateral pSTS responses, a process that likely continues into adolescence.\n\nHighlightsO_LIChildren show less interaction selectivity in the pSTS than adults\nC_LIO_LIAdults show bilateral pSTS selectivity, while children are more right-lateralized\nC_LIO_LIExploratory findings suggest interaction selectivity in pSTS is more focally tuned in adults\nC_LI