Abstract

This review presents experimental evidence on individual differences in sustained attention in the first year of life. In particular, the aim is to review studies which assess such differences by means of two different attentive measures: duration of visual fixation to static stimuli and a particular kind of visual-manipulative exploratory behaviour (examining). In the light of data reported in the literature, different topics will be discussed: underlying processes of individual variability in sustained attention, consistency across situations of individual differences' measures and the relationship of sustained attention to measures of temperament.