On-screen eye-tracking

Table-mounted eye-trackers (manufactured by Tobii) allow us to determine where on a computer screen the child’s gaze is fixated at any given moment. We use these eye trackers in conjunction with custom-written computer scripts that allow an infant to interact with pictures, sounds, and movies on-screen with their gaze.

Video: [UR News on the Baby Lab]

Eye-tracking in the world

We also use a set of head-mounted eye-trackers (manufactured by Positive Science) to study how young children and adults allocate their visual attention in the world. One camera on each set records the wearer’s field-of-view. A second camera captures the wearer’s eye. Together, the two views allow us to determine where a subject visually fixates in the scene.

Article: [Rochester Review on Baby Lab methods]

Interactive touchscreens

We use touchscreen computer monitors to measure the preferences and responses of pre-literate children in an engaging and interactive format. In these studies, children typically watch movies on the monitor, and then respond to verbally presented questions by touching different pictures on-screen.

Computational modeling

Computational modeling involves building a mathematical model designed to simulate a particular human behavior, and then running that model on a computer. This technique allows us to explore and visualize the functional organization of mental events that we can’t directly observe.

Behavioral tasks in non-human learners

In addition to our work with infants, we are also involved in collaborations that investigate information-seeking behavior using eye-tracking and free-viewing methods in non-human learners. We explore what aspects of attention, exploration, and curiosity are shared across species, and empirically test alternative hypotheses that could explain differences.